Obsession
by AnakinCaffrey
Summary: It's one thing to be addicted. The problem is how to deal with that addiction. Anakin and Ahsoka must face their inner demons together. Rated for language and themes. [DISCONTINUED]
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**_

_**A/N: Okay, I understand that people are offended by swearing, no matter how minor it may be. If that applies to you, I don't recommend you read this. There are themes that people may not like, so again, if that applies to you, don't read this. Thank you!**_

_**xxx **_

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

Something was wrong with me this week. Sure, I was recently promoted to Jedi Knight of the Galactic Republic, but something was _off._ I found myself speaking freely and constantly with Obi-Wan. I don't even remember half of the topics I'd brought up with him, though I think one may have been about receiving a Padawan.

I could tell that he was shocked by my words each time I spoke and I thought he might actually be catching on to what's been going on with me.

Right now, I'm sitting in my dormitory. I was alone, as usual.

I sighed, leaning back onto my bed. The Clone Wars was finally taking its toll on me. I've been drinking more to ease the pain, coming close to overdosing on tablets despite the warning of the medical droids, and I'm constantly fighting for my life every time I get onto the battlefield.

The signs of each problem were beginning to show. I complained about my head pounding, my body aching, and bruises and scars began to appear all over my body along with my constant fatigue. Obi-Wan had begun to worry about me, but I brushed it off, telling him that nothing was wrong with me.

The comlink on my wrist began to beep. I groaned, sitting up. I tapped the button. "Skywalker here."

"_Anakin,_" Obi-Wan's voice greeted over the com. "_Can you come to the Council chambers?_"

"Of course I can. I'm on my way. Skywalker out." I tapped the button once again to stop him from replying.

I pushed myself off of my bed and began to leave my dorm. The only thing that came to mind was a _what if _question. _What if _they discovered my problems?

They would take away the drinks and the tablets. They might even lock me up in some cell because they believe I've lost my _kriffing _mind. No matter how true that might be, I'd always be addicted to falling further into myself.

I entered the Council chambers, bowing as my boots stopped in the center of the room. The only people inside of this large hall were Yoda, Obi-Wan, a group of teenagers, and me.

"Masters."

Yoda sighed, coming closer to me. "Told me that you're eager for a Padawan, Obi-Wan has. Selected a group of younglings, we have. Choose your apprentice, you must."

They have to be kriffing kidding me. Why the hell would I want to… _oh._ Damn those drugs…

Like I said, there's something wrong with me this week. I was beginning to forget things easily…

I nodded and stepped in front of the five younglings. Three were human males, one was a female Twi'lek, and the last one – looking to be the youngest – was a female Togruta. Each youngling stared at me expectantly. The Togruta bit her lip and began to fidget, having to touch her headtails.

"What's your name?" I asked her.

She looked up at me in fear. "Ah – Ahso – Ahsoka."

I raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a last name?"

"Tano," she whispered.

Something in her eyes told me that she _needed _support from another lifeform. I glanced at the boys standing beside her. They were giving her incredulous looks because she had gained my attention. "Are you looking forward to becoming a Padawan?"

She nodded quickly, shooting a terrified glance to the boys beside her. "Well, Ahsoka Tano, then do you accept my offer to become your Master?"

I heard whispered insults directed towards her, but my gaze remained locked with hers. She stared at me in awe, nodding. "Yes," she said softly.

I outstretched my arm, extending my hand for hers. She reluctantly raised her hand to grip mine. "I'm Anakin Skywalker. I'm looking forward to teaching you."

"Thank you."

"All right, kiddo. You'll be sharing a dorm with me unless you –"

"No!" she almost screamed, throwing her hands out towards me. "I – I mean… sharing a dorm with you is fine with me."

Obi-Wan, Yoda, and I stared at her in shock. I was beginning to worry about her more than my kriffing obsessions being found out. "Okay, come on, Ahsoka…"

She stepped out of the line of younglings, walking beside me. I passed Obi-Wan and he motioned for me to come closer for a moment. I turned to Ahsoka, motioning for her to stay put. I walked back to Obi-Wan and he whispered, "I'm not sure what's troubling her."

I shrugged. "I'll find out."

She was now standing outside of the chamber nervously, anxiously waiting for me. Obi-Wan handed me a collection of papers, a lightsaber hilt, and a Padawan braid. "This is all the information we have on her and the possessions for her. Good luck, Anakin."

I nodded, walking out of the chamber. As we walked down the halls, she stayed extremely close to me. Each time a youngling stared at her, she became flustered, rubbing her arm nervously.

Once we entered my dorm, she seemed to relax, but only slightly. There was a second bed on the opposite side of the room. "Okay, here are the basics. That's your bed, the refresher is over there, and anything under my bed is strictly _off limits. _Do you have any questions?"

It was nice to see that her eyes followed my finger as I pointed things out for her. "What's under your bed?"

"Nothing," I said a little too harshly. "I just want you to stay away from my bed, all right?"

She nodded. "Master?"

"Hm?"

"I hope I don't disappoint you…"

She walked over to her bed and sat down. I stared at her, my confusion and concern growing. "Why would you disappoint me?"

She stared down at the floor. I was taken aback and my heart tightened. This shy, little girl had such a low self esteem. I'd chosen a _damaged _child as my apprentice and it was now _my _duty to bring her up and make her face whatever demons were eating away at her soul.

Seeing as though she was going to remain silent, I sat down on my bed and opened her file. She's fifteen. _Stang!_ She's fifteen years old and massively depressed. All right, Skywalker, it's time to put the drugs and alcohol aside for a while.

She had several injuries reported to her montrals and lekku in the last few days. I briefly glanced up to see her wince as she stroked her left lek. I put the file down on my bed, standing up. I crossed the room and sat beside her. She stared at me with a guarded, yet terrified, expression.

"Is there anything you want to talk about?"

She shook her head. "Ahsoka, if we're going to make it as a Master and Padawan, we need to be open with each other. Is something bothering you?"

"I _can't _tell you."

"Why not?" I pressed.

She glared at me and I could feel her frustration shoot through the ceiling. "I just _can't, _okay? Why won't you just leave me alone? All of you think you know me, but you _don't!_"

Her shouting made me upset to the point that I began to shout as well. "Don't get _snippy _with me, little one! I'm just trying to help you and you're being stubborn!"

"How do you plan on helping me?" she whispered.

I sighed, relaxing myself. "My mother always told me that talking about your problems helps. You can trust me, Ahsoka. Anything you tell me will be kept between us, okay? I skimmed over your file and I noticed that you've been injured several times within the last few days. Do you want to tell me how this happened?"

She stared at me sadly. "They were just training accidents. I'm clumsy and –"

"If you think I'm kriffing buying that excuse, you're wrong. You wouldn't have been selected for becoming a Padawan if that were true. I want the _truth._"

She sighed, pulling her knees to her chest. "I was… _beaten _by the other younglings."

"Why?" I asked, pained.

"They hate me because I'm the only Togruta in the class. I always did well during trainings. They say I'd be better as a slave because that's what my parents were. They _hate _me. Every time one of them finds me alone, they…"

She closed her eyes and small tears began to rush down her orange cheeks. "They slam me against walls. They drag me by my lekku or montrals into their dorms and they tell me horrible things. One boy took me into his dorm and almost…" her voice broke.

"Ahsoka," I whispered. She began to sob uncontrollably.

I pulled her against my side, lightly rubbing her arm. "He – he almost _violated _me…" she whispered. "I'm so _afraid…_"

"Don't be afraid anymore," I whispered, trying to soothe her. "I'll never allow that kind of harm to come to you. I'll protect you, Ahsoka. I'm going to take care of you. I promise you that, Snips."

She giggled through her tears, lifting her head slightly to stare up at me. "_Snips?_"

"You're my snippy, little Padawan," I smiled.

She sat up, smiling as she wiped her tears away. "Thank you, Master."

I patted her leg lightly. "_Anytime _you need me, I'll be here."

"Is it okay if I get some sleep?" she asked quietly.

I nodded. "Of course it is. Get some rest, little one. I think I'll –"

"Can you stay in the dorm?" she whispered quickly, sounding desperate.

I smiled warmly and nodded. "No problem. I'll be over there," I replied, pointing at my desk in the corner of the room.

She nodded, leaning back onto the bed so that she was resting on her side. I watched her wince as her lek touched the mattress. "Do you want to go to the medbay for a pain reliever?"

"What are you going to say we're in there for?"

I smirked. "I'll say they're for me so they're on my record instead of yours. Does that sound all right?"

"You would do that for me?"

She sounded shocked that I offered to do something nice for her. Seeing as though her life didn't seem all that great, I guess it was understandable. "Sure. Come on, I don't want to leave you here by yourself."

She hopped off of the bed and dashed over to me. We walked out into the hallway together. I noticed a few younglings glaring at her. Someone insulted her in Huttese, probably assuming that neither of us would understand what they were saying. Growing up on Tatooine had its advantages…

I spun around and slammed the youngling against a wall. "Would you like to say that again?"

She trembled in my grip, staring back and forth between Ahsoka and me. "If I _ever _hear you say anything to her again, I won't hold back next time. You can certainly expect a meeting with the Council later on today."

I released her and walked back over to Ahsoka slowly. My heart began to race as my need for the tablets began to dominate me. I groaned, knowing that I had to make it just a little longer. I had to at least wait for Ahsoka to go to sleep before I took anything. I placed my hand on Ahsoka's shoulder lightly. She flinched as my glove made contact with her skin. "Sorry," I whispered, pulling my hand back.

"Don't be. It's not _you. _I'm just not used to being touched kindly."

"I'll _never _touch you like they did. I'm not like that."

We began walking towards the medbay again. Once we entered, she stood behind me, making me act almost like her shield.

The droid wheeled over to me. "How can I help you, Master Skywalker?"

"I'd like some tablets for pain relief."

The droid hesitated. "You have been taking too many. If you take much more –"

"Give me the _kriffing _tablets, droid," I growled, emphasizing each word.

The droid wheeled away, bringing me a small casing of tablets. I turned around, glancing down at her. I could see the fear in her eyes. "Come on," I muttered. _Damn droids._ They almost always put me in a foul mood.

We made it back to the dorm without any problems. I walked to my desk and opened the casing. "All right, you're going to take two of these and it _should _help you."

"Are you trying to _kill _yourself?" she asked quickly and painfully.


	2. Chapter 2

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

"Are you trying to kill yourself?" I asked as I stared at his back.

He spun around quickly, a look of shock crossing his expression. "What? _No!_"

"Then why did the droid say –"

"I take pain relievers because I'm frequently in pain."

I frowned at him, crossing my arms over my chest. "Like you said, _if you think I'm kriffing buying that excuse, you're wrong._"

"Hey," he whispered angrily. "Don't say _that._"

"I know what it means."

"You watch your mouth little one."

"I… never mind." This was my first day as his Padawan and I was already failing him and myself. I stared down at the carpeted floor, imagining him shoving me out of the dorm, telling me that I'd be better off as a slave.

He sighed and I glanced up at him. He came towards me, frowning. "Just take these okay?"

He lightly took my hand and placed two small tablets in it. "And Ahsoka, I'm _not _forbidding you from speaking your mind. I just don't want your words to be as… colored as mine. I'd probably get in trouble for it."

I put the tablets in my mouth and swallowed them before looking up at him. "I don't want to disrespect you, Master."

"I'm six years older than you. I don't think you can really disrespect me," he laughed. I watched his smile falter as he stared at me. He sighed, turning his head. "I'm going to be slightly honest with you here. I'm _not _trying to kill myself, but I am taking too many tablets. The things under my bed, they're illegal. Don't ask questions; just don't touch anything under there, okay?"

I gaped at him. "By the look on your face, I assume you won't be attempting to take anything from me anytime soon."

I was curious as to what he might be hiding under his bed, but I couldn't let him down. I'd let myself and my family down already…

"What's wrong, Ahsoka?"

"Nothing," I whispered. I turned away from him and went back over to my bed, plopping down onto it. I faced the wall, forcing him to stare at my back. I closed my eyes and silently began to cry. This had become a daily routine for me.

The pain I felt right now was so intense that I almost had a hard time covering it up in the Force. My lekku and montrals were sore from being tugged and hit, my stomach growled of starvation because those younglings always took my food, and my hips were covered with scars that I could hide.

"Are you okay?"

His soft, yet very deep, voice made me jump. I realized too late that I had been rubbing my hip. I turned over to face him. He looked concerned – just like the others…

_He was no different._

I knew that he would betray me in the end. I could trust no one with my secrets, yet I had stupidly opened myself up to him. His voice drew me in and I didn't like it one bit. I wanted to keep myself locked away so I didn't have the adults always watching me.

He walked over to me, kneeling down beside the bed. "What's wrong right here?" he whispered, lightly tapping my hip.

I jerked away from him, curling into a defensive ball.

I felt him crawl over me and I instantly felt afraid. Images began to flash in my head. I saw the Twi'lek boy that tried to _rape _me hovering above my naked body. I had been tied to the bed and gagged. No one could hear my pleas…

I screamed, holding my montrals. I felt like I was in pain, but there was nothing injuring me. My Master gripped me tightly, whispering my name over and over. What he didn't know was that his voice brought the worst part of the entire scene back into my mind.

That boy… he'd screamed at me, hitting me. He told me to be quiet, but I couldn't. I was so afraid to be around any man because of that night. It was even difficult being around the Masters because I knew that they were stronger than me and I was too vulnerable.

"Ahsoka, it's just me!" he whispered, his voice pained. I opened my eyes to see a blurry vision of my Master. "It's me, Ahsoka. I promise that I'm not going to hurt you. No one is going to hurt you. I'm so sorry."

I began to hyperventilate as I cried. He tried to comfort me by speaking, but that only made it worse. I just wanted to be left alone, but he wouldn't understand. Humans think that contact comforts the other individual. Not in my case. His touching me – no matter how lightly he was doing so – had caused me to fall further into my fear.

He lightly stroked my cheek. "It's me. It's Anakin," he whispered. "Don't cry, please. I don't want you to be afraid. Please…"

I pulled away from him, running into the refresher. The door hissed behind me and I immediately locked it. I heard him trying to get in and I screamed, falling to the floor. I held the sides of my montrals in my hands, shutting my eyes tightly.

I heard the door slide open and his footsteps come closer to me. He grabbed my hand lightly, trying to stop me from clawing myself to death. I opened my eyes, searching quickly for some sharp object. He had a knife in a compartment above the sink.

I pushed him away from me and jumped up, running to the sink. I grabbed the knife and instantly began to slash at my hip through my clothing. "What the hell are you doing?" he screamed.

Before I knew it, the knife was pulled away from my hands and thrown across the tiled floor. He grabbed my wrists, slamming me into a wall. "You _can't _do this to yourself, Ahsoka! What the hell were you thinking?"

I stared up into his blue eyes. He looked so hurt and confused, breathing heavily in my face. "I want to help you. Don't be afraid of me," he whispered.

He slowly began to release my wrists, staring at me. I knew he was searching for some sign of my insanity and he didn't find it. He let me go and knelt down in front of me. I almost screamed again, but I realized that this was someone who truly cared about me.

I couldn't imagine what all my previous screaming had done to him. He told me that I could trust him. I just didn't know if I could. I'd never trusted anyone because I always got hurt.

He carefully pulled the cloth away from my hip – and only my hip. I felt his gloved fingers trace the scars that I'd embedded into myself many months – even years – ago. "It's a wonder you haven't killed yourself," he whispered incredulously.

I fell to the floor and he caught me before I could do any further damage to myself. "All right, so no sharp objects around you. Is there anything else I need to see or know?"

I stared up at him, exhausted. "My arms," I whispered.

He gently touched my arms, silently asking me for permission to lift the sleeves. I nodded, closing my eyes. I felt the sleeves slowly roll up and I heard his low gasp. He pulled me up, tugging on my hands. "We're getting you help right now."

"No!" I screamed, trying to pull out of his grip. "You can't! Please, no!"

He continued to pull me out of the refresher and through the lounging area. "I promise I'll stop if you don't do this!"

He spun around, not releasing my wrist. "You promise?"

"I do."

"If I see one more mark, one more scar –"

"I _promise _means I'm going through with my words. Just please don't take me there. I've only just met you and I know you'll take care of me. Please, just give me time to heal. I don't want to leave the temple because of this. I'm not crazy. I'm not…"

"I never said you were crazy, Ahsoka. If you break this promise, I'm going to take you directly to the Council. I do not want to see you hurt yourself. I don't want to see anymore cuts on your skin. You're a beautiful girl on the inside and out. Don't do this to yourself. You're so _young _and you have so much to live for in life. I know right now might seem pretty bad, but it's time for a change."

I looked down at the floor. "I'm going to get you through this. I just need you to cooperate with me. You need to trust me. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not like those younglings that tormented you. I'm –"

"_The Chosen One._"

He frowned deeply. "No, I'm not. I'm your friend. I don't want to see your corpse when I wake up in the morning. Do you think you can make it through the night?"

I nodded, smiling at him appreciatively. "Can… can I ask for something?"

"That depends on what you're going to ask me for," he whispered, his eyebrow rising.

"Can I get something to eat? I haven't eaten in days…"

He looked down at my hip. "Well, I need to find you something less revealing to wear before I take you out there. Do me a favor, okay? Go into the refresher and wash the blood away. I'm going to sneak into someone's dorm and find you something to wear. I'll be right back."

I gripped his wrist tightly. "You can't leave me here."

"I'll lock the door. I promise that you'll be safe, Ahsoka. I'm just going down the hall into Master Secura's dorm."

I let him go – very reluctantly. He stared at me as he backed away slowly. "I will be right back, Ahsoka. Go relax in the refresher. I'll –"

"The longer you're in here, the more afraid I'll feel."

He turned around and ran out of the room, heading down the hallway. I heard the door lock behind him and I sighed. I turned and went back into the refresher. I picked up the knife, dropping it into a waste compartment. I turned the sink on and began to soak a rag. I dabbed at my hip, wiping the blood away.

Within moments, there was a knock on the door. "Come in."

He entered, trying his best not to look at me in the case that I might not have my clothes on. "I appreciate your caution, Master, but I still have my clothes on. You can look at me."

He sighed, looking at my hip. I saw his fingers flinch as he continued to stare. "You want to touch me, don't you?"

"Not in that way," he whispered. "I just want to stop the bleeding…"

I moved closer to him, handing him the rag. He turned the faucet so that the water became warmer. Once he was thoroughly impressed with the temperature of the water, he pressed it against my hip lightly. I groaned at the heat, but he kept at it.

"I don't want to hurt you, Ahsoka. I'm –"

"I know, I know. You're just trying to help. I'm not saying that what you're doing is wrong. It just hurts a little…"

"We've both had a rough day," he whispered.

"I hope the rest of our time together isn't like this. I'm so sorry…"

"I shouldn't push you into situations like this. All of this could have been avoided if I'd put two and two together and hadn't attempted to lie down beside you. I'm so _kriffing _stupid!"

"No, you aren't. Master, you're very compassionate and caring. You didn't think that something so little as that would set me off. I should know better than to act that way…"

"You have all the reason in the galaxy to act the way you do. You've been tormented for however long it's been and now you're forced to trust me because I'm your Master. Well, that's not true. I'm not _forcing _you to trust me, though I'm hoping you will."

"Never once during my outbursts did you try to assault me or violate me. I think you've earned a bit of my trust…"

He smiled weakly, continuing to dab at my leg. "Thanks, Snips."


	3. Chapter 3

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

**Six months later.**

"Ahsoka, watch out!"

Before I realized what was happening, my Master threw himself at me, crushing me beneath him against the sandy grounds of Tatooine. We rolled down a dune as blasts hit our previous location. We stood quickly. "Thanks, Skyguy," I breathed, smiling at him.

He smirked, igniting his lightsaber and charging back towards the battle. Somehow he and I had been dragged into a battle on the Dune Sea. I could sense the dark side engulfing our area, but I didn't quite understand _why _this specific area had been chosen for a battle.

I ignited my emerald saber, dashing after him. He began to show off, hopping from droid to droid, slashing each one through in one swift strike. I rolled my eyes, seeing as though he appeared to have everything under control.

I cried out as lightning crashed against my body. I quickly turned and held my lightsaber up to absorb the lightning. Dooku was cackling. "What a weak apprentice you are."

"Come on, Skyguy," I muttered to myself, beginning to dig my heels into the sand. "I need you _right now._"

"Jump up!" I did as I was told and a huge wave of sand rushed beneath me, engulfing Dooku within it. I landed beside my Master's tornado, turning quickly to run back to him. "Snips, go destroy his ship!"

I nodded, attaching my lightsaber to my belt. Dooku's _pod of a ship _was directly ahead of me. I ran up the ramp and looked for the control panels. Once I located them, I began to slash at them freely, enjoying the sparks that flew through the air.

Once I was sure I had done enough damage, I ran back down the ramp and out into the Dune Sea. Master Skywalker was lying on the ground, his lightsaber out of his reach. Dooku was gone.

_Master wasn't moving._

I ran up to him, almost tripping in the process. Sand flew up around my ankles until I crashed down beside his body. I touched his back to feel him breathing. I sighed in relief. "Master, get up. We need to get out of here now. Dooku's gone."

"Damn… drugs…" he muttered, coughing.

"I thought you stopped taking them."

"It's an addiction, Snips. I'll have to get over it someday, but now is not the time…"

I frowned at him as he began to push himself up. I could see the exhaustion in his face, hear his labored breathing, and I could almost taste the alcohol he'd consumed before we departed from the ship. I pulled his lightsaber into my hand, gripping it tightly.

"I'm fine, Snips. Don't worry, okay? Once this war is over, I'll give myself rehab sessions, all right?"

I reached up, touching his face. "You look terrible."

"Thanks," he mumbled.

I looked down at his waist. He was almost as thin as I was, but he wasn't eating anything. The drugs he took made him less and less hungry. He'd lost his appetite weeks ago and it hasn't resurfaced yet.

"How are we going to get off of this planet?" I asked him.

"I don't kriffing know," he sighed, exasperated. "Let's get back into town…"

"Do you know how long that will take, Master? We're so far out that it's not even funny. If I had known Dooku was going to get away –" I stopped when his eyes met mine in a fierce glare.

"Is this my fault then?"

"I didn't say that," I spoke quickly.

"You might as well have said it. Ugh," he groaned. "My head hurts so much…"

"Then stop drinking!" I shouted angrily. "I'm half tempted to tell Master Kenobi about the alcohol! Don't even get me started on the drugs!"

"You promised that you'd keep this between us like everything I've kept from them."

"I said I would if it didn't get out of hand. You drink every single day, you almost died of an overdose two weeks ago, and you don't seem to give a frak about anything!"

"I give a frak about you, Snips! I haven't let you come close to dying once! Doesn't that count for something? I thought it might, but if you think otherwise, I'll stop busting my ass to save you."

"Saving me does count, but what about the clones? We lose so many every time we enter a fight. Haven't you read your own reports? We lose at least a thousand men every battle!"

He lowered his gaze. "I know."

I let out a frustrated groan. "Then why can't you listen to me? Don't you see that these obsessions you possess are going to kill you? You're lucky that the Council hasn't found out about the near-death over dosage. I had to spend three _hours_ wiping the proper files from that droid."

"I appreciate everything you've done for me, Ahsoka. I really do."

He put his arm around me and we began to cross the Dune Sea until we reached Mos Eisley. His shoulder pads kept making metallic noises as we walked, but that was a sound I'd grown accustomed to over the last few months.

We walked into a cantina, taking a seat in a small booth. "Please tell me you aren't planning on drinking, Master."

He was watching something in the corner of the room. I slowly turned around to see him staring at a Togruta female dancing. I glanced back at him quickly to see him lick his lips. "Master, what –"

He left the booth and walked over to her. I gaped at him, realizing that he must be losing his mind. He knew how strongly I felt _against _Togruta slaves, yet he proceeded to walk over to one and dance behind her seductively.

I stood up angrily, dashing over to him. I pulled out a few credits, handing them to the girl. I pulled him away from her, slamming him into the booth once again. "I'm going to go crazy if I don't –" he groaned, throwing his head back.

A waitress came over, putting drinks down on the table that we hadn't even ordered. "Shalo says it's on the house."

He immediately grabbed his glass, drinking it. I rested my elbows on the table, sighing. "Ahsoka."

I glanced at him sideways. "Yes?"

"I _need _you…"

"You know I'm right here, Master."

"No. I need _you._"

He grabbed my hand beneath the table and moved it between his legs. I now understood what he meant and I felt slightly excited, but detached. This wasn't the best time to admit that I'd had feelings brewing for him in the last few weeks…

He was driven and drunk.

"No."

"Please," he whispered, his eyes pleading.

"_No._"

He sighed in frustration, releasing my hand. "Damn you."

"Damn you," I retorted, rolling my eyes.

We sat side by side for a few more minutes before his comlink began to beep. I groaned, realizing how much trouble he would get into for being drunk around me. I tapped his wrist. "Commander Tano speaking."

"_Ahsoka? Where is Anakin?_"

"He's currently…" I glanced up into his eyes, seeing that he was curious as to what I was going to say. "_Regenerating_ himself. The battle pretty much wiped him out."

"_I see, so that means you're alone?_"

"That's correct, Master Kenobi."

"_I wanted to ask you if you've noticed anything… strange going on with Anakin. He seems distracted and detached from reality. Is he all right?_"

"He's… he's just fine, Master. I think he's waking up. I'd better go. Oh, we also need to be picked up…"

He chuckled over the link. "_I'll be there to pick you both up shortly. Keep an eye on him, please._"

"Of course, we'll see you soon."

I tapped his wrist again. "I'm not drunk."

"Really?"

He nodded. "I was testing you."

"Uh huh," I responded, not meeting his eyes. He sat forward, laying his head down on the table. I rubbed his back slowly, knowing that would relax him for a little while at least. "Next time I might not be so lenient with Master Kenobi…"

"You know I'd never force you to have sex with me, Ahsoka. I was making sure you weren't thinking about frakking me anytime soon."

"I wasn't thinking about it at all." _Lies… oh, beautiful lies…_

"I know. You're a good girl, Snips. I'm glad I chose you as my Padawan."

"What if I hadn't listened to you a few months ago? Would you still think that?"

"Of course I would. You're very intelligent, brave…" he paused to laugh. "_Daring _as well. You're like the person I used to be in so many ways."

"You know, we can still change you back to the way you were…"

"I may not be drunk, but I'm still going to drink. I'm not high right now, but I'm still doing to do drugs. You called in my obsession. Well, that's absolutely true. I can't just _give it up_ and hope to recover instantaneously. I tried that during the first month of you living with me."

"Even then I knew you were snorting that –"

"Just…" he sighed. "I'd rather not discuss this right now. We've already fought about the drugs enough. Someday, I'll give it up. I just don't know when. My body can't stop and it takes my mind with it."

I nudged him playfully. "I'll help you get through this, Skyguy. You got me to stop cutting myself, so I'll get you to stop –"

"Don't even finish that sentence," he laughed. I rolled my eyes at him. "See what I mean about you being a good girl, Snips? You've changed since that first week together."

"It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"That depends. If I hadn't stopped you, you might have killed yourself. Do you know how _wonderful _I would feel about myself right now if you hadn't made it that first week?" he said, frowning.

"I'm sure you'd feel a little better than you do right now. You do know that Obi-Wan is going to see your exhaustion and probably smell the alcohol, right?"

"Let the old man think what he will."

I watched him shift beside me. "You know I didn't mean to upset you by approaching that dancer."

"I guess," I shrugged. He must have sensed my mixed feelings on that…

"I was a slave before I became a Jedi, Snips. I was born into it. Slavery has always been a _very _touchy subject for me."

I stared at him, shocked. "You were a slave?"

"Yes," he whispered. "I was and I grew up around here actually…"

"How did you get through it?" I asked, staring full on at him. I couldn't help it. I was extremely curious because he was finally opening himself up to me.

He rested his elbow on the table, holding his head in his hand. "I would stare up into the sky at night and desperately hope that someday would be better. I hoped that something better would take my mother and me away from this planet."

"Well, you obviously got something better… sort of. What about your mother?"

He bit his lip, closing his eyes. I stared at him, concerned. I tried to probe his thoughts, but he kept everything hidden very well. "I thought we were closer than this."

"She was freed by a moisture farmer, but she was kidnapped by Tusken Raiders. I was too kriffing late… I couldn't save her…" His mechanical fingers clenched tightly – so tight that I could hear the gears begging for him to relax. "I keep telling myself that I wasn't strong enough to save her. I've lost _so _many people that I was close to. I can't lose anymore…"

I stared at him sadly. "Is there where the addiction began?"

He nodded slowly. "I lost my mother and I lost Padme…"

"You and Senator Amidala had a –"

"No, never. She and I weren't meant to be together because I have other obligations. She… died on Geonosis. Again, I had failed to save someone close to me. Do you understand why I'm so protective of _you?_ I don't want you to hurt yourself because I'm so damn _selfish. _I care so much about you and I _can't _let you go."

I carefully leaned against him. "You've helped me become stronger physically and mentally. Had you not chosen me, I might not be alive right now," I whispered.

He nodded slowly. "And now I need you to help me."

I smiled weakly up at him. "I'll try my hardest."

"That's all you need to do."

He put his arm around my shoulders. "You're an amazing Padawan and friend, Snips."

"You're a horrible Master," I laughed. "But you're definitely an amazing friend as well."

He frowned deeply. "I know I'm a horrible Master…"

I smacked his leg playfully. "I didn't mean that. You know I –" I paused only for a moment, attempting to push away the three words that wanted to escape my lips. "I don't think lowly of you."

"But you always –"

"I may not like that you're doing drugs, but I'm glad you're allowing me to help you. You're a strong man, Master."

"You're the only one I trust with this information, Ahsoka. You're the only one I really trust…" he whispered, smiling down at me.


	4. Chapter 4

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I lifted my head from the table to see Ahsoka lying on my legs, her face directly beneath mine. I groaned, rubbing my temples. "Hey, Snips, are you up?"

"_No,_" she mumbled.

"How long have we been here?"

She sat up, lifting her back from my knees. "Three hours."

"Damn, we've been in this booth for three hours?"

She stretched for a moment before laying back down on me. I stared at her tired, blue eyes. I gently stroked her cheek. "Get some rest, Snips. I'll wake you up when Obi-Wan gets here."

She smiled, nodding slowly as her eyelids began to droop.

I leaned my head back, hoping that the pounding in my head might lessen. My nostrils began to burn like hell and my heart beat like it wanted to burst out of my chest. "No more drugs," she whispered.

She gripped my shaking flesh hand, opening her eyes. I hadn't even realized how horribly my entire body had been shaking. "We're going to get you through this, Master."

"I can't _not _take them. I _need _them."

"No, you don't. I'm going to help you like you helped me. I'm going to help you destroy this addiction."

I closed my eyes, both of my hands trembling frantically. My comlink began to beep and, after a few moments, it grew annoying. I groaned, tapping my wrist. "Skywalker."

"_Anakin, my fleet has arrived to pick you up. Where are you?_"

"Mos Eisley."

"_All right. I'm sending Cody down with a transport._"

"We'll be here," I responded, closing the link right after. Ahsoka lifted herself off of me, sliding out of the booth. I slid out after her and walked outside behind her. I stood in the bright sun while she attempted to hide in the shade of a merchant's stand.

Within minutes, a clone transport came into view. "Master Kenobi is going to know that something's up with you. You look like a mess."

"I blame it on exhaustion."

"If you head to our quarters and clean yourself up, I'll tell him you're really tired."

"I have to write the kriffing report for the Council…" I sighed.

She stepped forward, coming closer to me, smiling. "I don't mind writing it. I've watched you do it enough times."

The transport landed in front of us and the door slid open. Obi-Wan's commander saluted us – showing respect for Ahsoka despite the fact that they shared the same rank. "I heard that you needed a lift."

"You heard correctly," I chuckled. Ahsoka stepped onto the transport first. I walked up behind her, resting my hand on her shoulder. We reached up, gripping the handles as the ship took off.

Her ass pressed against me, sending a shuddering wave of pleasure through my body. I closed my eyes and moaned softly. _Stang! _This was the drug messing with me. Never in my right mind would I think about frakking her. She's too innocent and I care too much about her to even consider doing that to her.

We were both way too messed up either way. I'm pretty sure she's in a far better state than I am right now.

I felt her tense up in my one-handed grip. She tilted her head back to glance up at me. She mouthed '_are you okay?_'

I shook my head, squeezing her shoulder. "Later, okay?" I whispered.

She nodded, returning to her previous position. She did relax under my hand and that was such a nice feeling. Six months earlier, she would have flinched away from me and begun screaming. Now, she would freely allow me to touch her – appropriately, of course.

The transport landed on Obi-Wan's cruiser and we stepped out. "Thanks for the lift, Cody," I called out to him as he began to head towards his station. I lightly gripped Ahsoka's shoulder. "I'm going to take a shower, Snips. Tell Obi-Wan I'll speak with him later."

She nodded slowly. "No more drugs, please…" she begged.

"There aren't any in this cruiser, so you have nothing to worry about."

Again, she nodded. I released her and she began walking towards the exit leading to the bridge. I went in the opposite direction, heading towards the quarters we shared while we were here.

I entered the room and began to remove my armor piece. I threw the chest piece and connected shoulder pads into the shower, cringing as they made loud noises on the shower floor. I decided that they needed to be washed off as well. I stripped down to my bare skin, stepping into the shower.

I turned the water on, moaning as it washed over my body. My thoughts began to wander – probably because of the drugs. Immediately, I saw Ahsoka's face and well-curved body. Before I could dispel the image, my lower half jumped in excitement. "_Damn. Me_," I whispered, closing my eyes.

"This is pathetic," I told myself. "How do you get an erection for a girl so young and fragile?"

The answer to that: _I grew too close to her. _In the last six months, we've bonded. We learned how to connect our minds – like Obi-Wan and I had during my apprenticeship – and we could hear bits and pieces to the other's thoughts. Ahsoka began to trust me after I'd held her for hours, telling her that cutting herself was not an option.

I'd caught her cutting herself twice after the initial slicing of her hip.

One night, she'd accidentally fallen asleep and the knife had gone into her leg. She was just lucky that I had walked in when I did. I sighed. _Lots of blood._

The shaking of my body just wouldn't stop and I didn't know how much longer I could take it. I fell down, sitting on the shower floor.

I held my head in my hands, groaning in agony as my heart began to race faster and faster. The pounding in my head and the burning in my nostrils grew stronger, making me feel trapped within myself and coming closer to the edge every moment.

I heard faint footsteps outside of the refresher. "Master?" she whispered. "Are you in there?"

"Ah – ah – Ahsok…" I stuttered, beginning to whimper.

The door hissed and a towel was thrown into the shower – despite the running water. I had luckily calmed myself prior to her entry. The erection was gone and I prayed that it wouldn't return as long as she was still in here with me.

I threw the towel over my lower half. "Ahsoka –" I managed to gasp.

She dove into the shower, running her hands through my soaking hair. I continued to shake. "Master, try to relax," she whispered, stroking my cheek. Her hand trailed down my neck and across my shoulder.

I slammed my hand over the towel, pressing my erected member down. I threw my head back, panting. _All _of my needs were hitting me at the same kriffing time. "Damn it!"

"What?" she asked, shocked and confused.

"_Frak me!_"

I felt her come closer to me. Her hand grabbed _me _and my panting became heavier and quicker.

"Is this how you feel about me?" she whispered.

"The drug," I moaned through my delusional thought process.

"Master, I can't –"

Despite her words, her grip tightened around _me._ The sensation disappeared as her fear became the dominant feeling.

She backed away, staring at my face. "I don't want to have sex…" she whispered. She leaned forward only to turn the water off.

I breathed slowly, trying to relax my mind and body. I leaned my head back against the shower wall. "I don't know why I said that. I'm so sorry, Ahsoka."

She continued to stare at my face until her expression softened and the fear dissipated. She knelt down in front of me. "This is exactly why we need to get you off of the drugs. They're making you delirious and hallucinate."

I nodded slowly as she stood back up. "Stay here. I'll go grab your clothes, okay?"

She ran out before I could respond, coming back a minute later. She set my clothes down on the sink counter, watching me cautiously. "I'm fine now," I whispered through my shaking. Again, the erection was gone, but who knew how long it would be before it came back for the third time?

She slowly left, not looking away from me. I sighed as she finally exited the dorm. Skywalker, you're a damn fool.

The sane part of me grew concerned. What if Ahsoka didn't trust me anymore, seeing as though I couldn't control my urges around her? What if she told the Council about – well, that was immediately pushed aside because I knew she wouldn't do that. The biggest _what if _that I could ask myself right about now was: _what if she didn't feel the same way about me?_

I slowly pushed myself off of the shower floor, stepping out. The towel over my lower half was drenched, so I tossed it into the chute that led down to the laundry station. It would get washed and dried eventually.

I grabbed a dry towel from the rack and began to rub it over my body, wiping all of the droplets of water from myself. I dried my hair only till the ends stopped dripping.

I pulled my clothes on and turned to face my armor pieces that were now decently washed off. I picked up piece, toweling it dry. Once that process was finished, I pulled it over my head, slipping each piece into their rightful position – covering my chest or my shoulders.

I stepped out of the refresher to see Ahsoka lounging on her bed. She was stroking her lek that had been through so much. I'd took more time to carefully read her files after the incident months ago and realized that each time she was abused, that specific lek always took the beating.

"Are you okay, Snips?"

She glanced over at me, nodding. "Yeah, I'm fine, Master."

I walked towards her and sat on the bed beside her. "I'm really sorry for what happened in there. That was… _embarrassing. _I shouldn't have acted that way, with or without the drug. If I have jeopardized our friendship in anyway –"

She sat up, hugging me lightly. "You haven't jeopardized anything. You've stuck with me through all of my problems and I intend to do the same for you, Master. I don't care what your… body thinks it needs. Sex, drugs, and alcohol are strictly off limit until further notice."

"Oh, so you control my sex life now?" I smirked.

She stared at me a little hurt. "I'm kidding, Ahsoka. I don't have sex very often. Actually, the last time it happened was maybe a year ago, so…"

She raised her eye marking and I laughed. "Have you ever had sex with anyone, Snips?"

She shook her head timidly. "I don't know if I want to. Isn't that against the Jedi code?"

"Attachments are forbidden. They didn't say we had to be abstinent from things such as that. The thing is, sex is a big deal and it has to be with the right –"

"What the hell, Master? Are you really going to give me '_the talk_'?"

I chuckled, rubbing her leg for a moment. "Do I have to give it to you?"

"I'm pretty sure I understand the basics of it. This goes there… and if you're not safe, something else happens."

I raised my eyebrow. "Quite the understanding you've got there. Do you know what any of it means, Snips?"

"I'm not a little kid, Master."

I rolled my eyes, smiling at her. "All right, Snips. I don't care if you have sex, as long as you're okay with it. I don't want you to get hurt or have… _something else happen._"

I laughed as she playfully smacked my chest. "That's not funny."

"Of course it is, Snips." I sighed, smiling at her. "All right, enough of that today…"

"Thank the Force!" she laughed.

"Oh, don't worry. We'll talk about it in length another time. I'm just too tired to want to continue that conversation." I stood up from her bed and walked over to my own, plopping down onto it. "How did everything go with Obi-Wan?"

She sat up a bit, looking at me seriously. I laid my head on my pillow, watching her more carefully. "He's getting closer to figuring out what's going on with you. He's beginning to draw conclusions and he's asking me for any information. He also read your medical file. He knows that you're constantly taking pills."

"Does he know about anything else…?"

"No."

I shrugged. "I guess I'm all right then. Good night, Snips. You get some rest soon, all right?"

She nodded just before I turned over onto my other side, facing the wall.

"You're _far _from all right," she muttered.


	5. Chapter 5

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I woke up to hear my Master speaking softly. I couldn't make out what he was saying, but I heard small things being thrown. "_Damn it!_" he sneered. "I _know _there's something – _jackpot._"

I opened my eye just a bit to look at him. He was in my pack. He pulled out the drugs that I'd swiped from him before we got to Tatooine. He began to unwrap the drug, smiling wickedly at it. "Master, no!" I screamed.

I leapt from the bed and he jumped back in fear. I fell to the floor because my legs were tangled up in the blanket. He threw the drug away from himself, backing up. I quickly regained some of my footing and dashed over to him. I fell against his chest, wrapping my arms around his waist.

I could feel his heart race and his body trembling. "You have to get past the withdrawal, Master. Taking more of it won't help at all."

His arms wound around me, shaking against my back. "I _can't._"

"I tried to take them from you so you wouldn't use them, Master. I'm in –"

There was a knock on the door. He stared up in horror then looked back at me. "I can't face him."

I stroked his cheek lovingly. "I understand. What are you going to do?"

He held me tightly as he leaned over. He pulled the drug into his hand, immediately giving it to me. "Put it somewhere. Put _all _of it somewhere. I'll talk to him," he whispered.

I nodded, prying myself away from him. I grabbed the pack and put it in the refresher, just below the sink.

I walked back out to see him leaning against the doorway, his and Master Kenobi's arms crossed over their chests.

I walked closer to them, standing beside my Master. "Ahsoka, go back inside," he commanded, his voice shaking as his spoke.

I looked back and forth between the two men. Master was glaring hard as his lips quivered. "_Now, Ahsoka._"

"No," I said, determined. "Whatever you two have to say, you can say it in front of me."

He slowly turned his gaze upon me, staring me down. The frown was killing me, but I wanted to make sure he didn't get in trouble. I crossed my arms, raising an eye marking at him.

"Let her stay," Master Kenobi suggested. "Perhaps she _should _here this as well."

Master focused on Master Kenobi. "Well?" he asked, growing impatient.

"Anakin, what's been going on with you lately?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"You look _horrible _and your medical report says that you've been taking too many tablets in a day. I noticed that you were given several warnings, but –"

"I'm _always _in pain."

I stared up at his blank face. "I highly doubt that, young one."

"You know what? _Frak you, _Obi-Wan."

"Excuse me?" he laughed. "Do you talk to your Padawan with that mouth?"

"I'm going to shove my lightsaber up your –"

"What my Master is _trying _to say," I interrupted, eying him. "Is that he wants you to believe him. He's always complaining to me about the pain, so he's taking pain relievers for it."

Both of them stared at me – Master Kenobi in shock and my Master in appreciation. "All right," he sighed. "If you tell me that nothing bad is going on here, I guess I believe _you,_ Ahsoka."

He gave Master one last glance before walking away. The door hissed behind him and Master Skywalker sighed, spinning around to face me. "_I owe you._"

"Yes, you do," I smirked. "Give me time to think about that."

He nodded. "Anything you want – just name it and it's yours."

I stared up at his face. He'd said the words without thinking them through. Just last night, I'd told him that I was very reserved about certain things, but _tonight _was different. "Teach me how to make love."

He burst into laughter. "You're kidding right?"

I crossed my arms over my chest, raising an eye marking. "Do I look like I'm kidding?"

He gaped at me for a moment. "You're too _kriffing _young to be frakking anyone, Ahsoka. You do realize that I'd be considered a pedophile for doing something like that to you _and _that I've been with other women, right?"

"Girls on Shili always lost their virginity before they're sixteen. My mother did, even my grandmother did. Master, I want _you _to be my first time."

"Ahsoka –"

"You said _anything_. I'm asking for one little thing. Take me before I'm sixteen. You know my birthday is in two months."

"This is something _huge,_ Ahsoka. I tried to tell you that sex is a big deal. You need to be sure that you wait for the right person because you can't take it back once you do it."

"You're the only person I want to frak me, Master."

"You'll think differently. You have two months. Just give it time."

"But you –"

"Think of something different."

I frowned, pouting. "Ahsoka, do you even know how to kiss someone?"

I looked away from him. "_No._"

"How about we start there?"

My heart jumped. "Really?"

He nodded slowly. "Only if you want to."

"Teach me, Master." There was a slightly different feel to saying that title. It was almost like I was his… _slave. _That also held a new feel as _Master _applied to him.

"Okay…" He stepped closer to me, gently pulling my chin up. He closed his eyes as his lips lightly brushed against mine.

I felt his lips part slightly and I quickly took advantage of that, licking his lips. I moaned as I tasted him. He was _sweet._ I shoved my tongue between his lips and into his mouth. He moaned, his hands stroking my lekku.

He lightly bit down on my tongue, but I still squeaked. He immediately pulled away. "What's wrong, Master?"

"Did I hurt you?"

"No. I was… _surprised._"

"So you're okay with shoving your tongue down my throat, but you're surprised by a little bite?" he chuckled. "Maybe we need to work through this slower."

I felt so excited. Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One, had _kissed _me. I mean _really _kissed me. He was my first kiss and I hoped he would be the first man I'd sleep with. "No. Do it again."

Again, he chuckled. "Relax, Snips. Obi-Wan's going to come back and try to figure out why you're feeling this way."

I closed my eyes as he came closer, his lips devouring mine. This time, he bit down on my lip. I moaned, accidentally parting my lips. He threw his tongue into my mouth, licking my tongue.

My hands flew up, gripping his hair, tugging strands. His hands were still trembling slightly as he rubbed my rear lek. One of his hands grabbed my leg, pulling it up and around his waist.

He moved his other hand to the leg that I was balancing on, pulling it up to his waist as well. I crossed my ankles behind his back. His arms kept my legs in place as his hands moved down to support my rear. Through this entire process, our tongues continued to dance.

II felt him moving backwards and my excitement went through the hull of the ship. He pressed me down onto the bed, his body only inches above mine.

I arched my back and he began to undo my top. The top was discarded, – thrown to the floor – leaving me in my bra, skirt, leggings, and boots. His fingers viciously pulled the skirt and leggings down to my ankles that were now on the bed. We finally parted for breath.

"Master," I breathed heavily.

"_Damn._"

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No, not at all," he laughed. "I'm moving _too _fast. You're just so… _exciting._"

"Keep going then," I pleaded. "Why did you stop?"

"You aren't ready for sex and I'm not ready to have sex with you. We're both acting on impulse because of yesterday's incident."

"How do _you _know _I'm _not ready?"

"Because you don't know how to control a kiss. Playing with my tongue was good – _really _good – but it doesn't count, sweetheart. Sex can wait until we're _both _ready. It's not just you; it's both of us."

"I'm ready!" I pleaded. "I want to do this. Why don't you?"

"I want to. Believe me, I do, but I don't want to hurt you and create something that you would call a mistake later in life."

I groaned in frustration, looking away from him. He pulled my skirt and leggings back up. The bed moved as he pulled my maroon tube top off of the floor. He wrapped it around me, hooking it up.

He hovered above me, tilting my face so I was looking at him. "You can't take sex back," he said slowly, emphasizing each word.

"Do you regret your first time?"

"Yes and no."

"Care to explain?"

He chuckled, pulling back to lie beside me. "She was my first and she was great. I don't know how it would feel with anyone else because she's the only one I've done it with. I regret being inexperienced and that it went nowhere. Each time we had sex, it got better, but it was a strictly physical relationship."

"So…" I trailed off, turning over to face him. "You wish it had been more than just physical love?"

He closed his eyes, nodding slowly. "I don't like frakking someone without building up a strong relationship first. I feel so… uncommitted when it comes to that."

I laid my head on his chest. "Do _we _have a strong relationship?"

"I think so. I feel connected to you, but I want to make sure you trust me and _want _me. If you just want me for sex, then all right, but I hope we could be better than that. I hope we could have more than that if this is what we decide to do…"

"I do trust you and I do want you."

He shook his head, rubbing his temples. "You're blinded by the help I've offered you in the past. Helping you stop cutting yourself was something I wanted to help you with because I didn't want anything to happen to you. I know your past is something that really hurts you, but I don't want to be your future hurt. You see the caring, helpful Master side of me most of the time, but you try to push aside the drug addict and alcoholic. If you really want me, you'll have to accept both parts of me. Is that something you can do?"

"I've fallen for you in the last few weeks, Master. I've had to deal with every bit of you and I love you for you. I still want the drugs to stop though…"

"Even if what you're saying is true, I'm not ready to… _make love _to you, Ahsoka. I understand that you don't want to be a virgin at sixteen, but what if you're not emotionally prepared for this?"

"There's only one way to find out," I laughed.

He rolled his eyes, wrapping his arms around me. "Oh, Snips…"

"Do you love me, Master?"

He hesitated. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you love me?"

He began to rub my arm slowly. "I love you because you're far from perfect. Everyone claims to be perfect, but I know you aren't and that's what draws me in. You were so damaged when I met you and look how far you've come in the last few months. Your personality is beautiful when you aren't screaming at me or crying because I'm getting high. You've stuck with me through my worst times and I've stuck with you through yours. I feel that we can get through anything together."

Everything he'd just said got to me. He loved me for the messed up Togruta I was. He didn't want just my body – though I'm sure a major part of him did. I've never eagerly offered to give myself up to someone, so he meant something to me.

The damn thing is, Jedi are forbidden to form attachments. I've grown attached to him as he has grown attached to me. "Master, do you… do you think admitting our feelings is wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you think we're disobeying the code?"

He sighed. "Damn you for bringing up the code."

I laughed, rubbing his chest. "Yes, I think we're disobeying the code," he replied. " Do I think admitting our feelings are wrong? _No. I don't._"


	6. Chapter 6

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

It's been exactly three weeks since Ahsoka and I really had a serious talk about love and such. Everything recently has been hinting and joking. I know she really wants to have sex with me, but I just can't allow it right now.

We're both too frakked in the head to know what we really want. I don't have the proper setting or… I don't even have condoms.

I've thought about this a lot in the last few weeks. Would she want me to use a condom or would she want to just go at it without protection? It would be her first time and – if I chose to do it – I wanted it to be perfect.

How the hell was I supposed to make her first time perfect when I'm still drinking a bottle and snorting the kriffing drugs? I threw my hand over my eyes, groaning as the hangover began to take place. _Damn you._ Those were words I frequently told myself.

The dormitory door slid open and my happy Padawan entered, skipping over to me. "Hey, Master," she said loudly. "How are you?"

I groaned, rolling over. "What's wrong?"

Her voice didn't get any quieter. It was almost as if she _knew _I was hung over. "Shut the hell up," I muttered.

"Why? Oh, wait. Let me guess. You're hung over aren't you, Master? Well, you know what? That's _your_ fault. I thought you were _done_. Do you realize that I see you –?"

"Damn it, I said shut the hell up!" I screamed, mentally shooting myself with a blaster for giving myself a bigger headache. I put my hands over my ears, clenching my teeth.

I felt the bed behind me dip and her hand touch my side, slowly rubbing me. Her other hand pried mine from my ear. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I just wish you could stop this. You're too addicted and it's not making things any better for you."

I held her hand tightly. "I'm not addicted."

"Yes, you are."

She climbed over me, being careful of my body that was aching. She knew me all too well now. Then again, I always complained about how I was in pain after getting high. She knew I was high as well.

She smiled weakly at me as she stared into my face. She held my hand between our bodies. "I know you don't want to admit it, but you are addicted."

"Do you want me to overdose right this –?"

"No," she replied quickly, her eyes widening. "Please don't threaten your life over this. You know I just want to help you."

"You're _not _helping at the moment."

Her upper arm outstretched as her right hand traced my cheekbone. "I'm sorry, Master."

She scooted her lower half closer to me. "You could help a little if you stopped trying to seduce me," I said angrily. "I know you don't want to wait for me, but if you want me at all, you're going to have to kriffing wait."

I watched her pull away slowly. "I can wait," she whispered, continuing to lightly trace my cheekbone. "The only person I want is _you._"

"Even if I'm always high?"

"I love you for your imperfections. I wish you'd stop hurting yourself, but I know it's hard. Believe me, I do. It took two years for someone to get me to quit cutting myself. No one has _ever _been as close to me as you've become. The only person I can honestly say I trust is _you. _You helped me through the self inflicting pain and got me _attached _to you. You took _days _– _months _even – out of your time to watch over me and hold me close…"

I pulled my hand out of hers, pushing myself into a sitting position. I pulled her into my lap, wrapping my arms around her protectively. Her face nuzzled into the crook of my neck. "That time wasn't wasted," I whispered. "I saved you."

"Let _me _save _you_," she pleaded.

"There's nothing you _can _do, Snips."

"There's got to be something!" she said, pulling her head back to stare at me.

I shrugged, smiling weakly. "I'm addicted."

She rolled her eyes before burying her face into my neck again. I felt her cool lips press against my skin lightly several times. "Master?" she whispered, barely audible.

"Yes?"

"Can you kiss me again?"

I sighed, closing my eyes. "Please, Master?"

I lifted her chin gently, tilting her head back. I pressed my lips against hers lightly. She seemed to want to take this slower today. Her fingers gripped mine, pulling them closer to her body.

I felt her warm breasts through the thin fabric and moaned. One of her hands traveled down my body alone until it reached its destination. I jumped on top of her, throwing my legs to her sides. I grinded my member against her slowly as I began to move my tongue between her lips. I was shocked as hell when I felt her tongue push mine back into my mouth, her own tongue making its entrance.

I felt her dominance take over as she flipped us over, placing her on top. Her legs were now at my sides and she was grinding against me, bouncing slightly. If we hadn't been wearing clothes, we certainly would have come much closer to having sex.

She moaned as she rubbed over my erect member. "Damn…" I gasped.

"Should we continue?" she whispered.

"Only if you're _absolutely _sure, Ahsoka. I'm against this, but I want you to be happy."

"You don't want me?" she asked sadly.

"I don't want to be high when we make love for the first time, Snips. I want it to be memorable because it'll be your very first time."

She pulled my flesh hand up to her waist, slowly taking the glove off. She slid my hand into her leggings – past them actually. I felt her skin. She pushed my hand closer to her entrance until I chose to pull back. "We'll save this for another time, _little girl._ Don't get too excited because it'll be a while before we actually have sex."

"Why can't it be now?" she groaned, frustrated.

"Because I kriffing said so, all right? If you're going to push me, we aren't going to do a Force damn thing. Do I make myself clear?"

I got off of the bed before she could answer and walked into the refresher. I washed my hand, drying it afterwards. She walked up behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist. "I'm sorry."

I turned around slowly, winding my arms around her slowly. "I just care about you. I don't think I'm the best person to fall in love with right now. I'm so…" I trailed off, closing my eyes.

"You're perfect to me. I know you don't think so, but I mean that. I'm far from perfect and so are you. We can get through everything together."

"I don't know what to say."

She smiled, reaching her hands up to clasp around my neck. She slowly began to pull my face towards her again. What stopped her was the beeping of the comlink on my wrist. She went back to throwing her arms around me, leaning her head against my chest.

I wrapped one arm around her, tapping the com on my other wrist to connect. I held my wrist up to my face. "Skywalker here."

"_Anakin, can I see you in the Council chambers, please?_"

I chuckled. "The last time you called me there, I got a Padawan. What is it this time?"

"_Bring her with you. Kenobi out._"

The connection fizzled from his end. I stared down at Ahsoka, raising an eyebrow. "That was… strange to say the least. You haven't told anyone about our problems have you?"

"No. I swear to you that I didn't tell anyone," she said, growing afraid. "Please don't think I –"

"Okay, okay, Ahsoka, calm down. I trust you. You know that, right?"

"Of course and I love that you trust me. I'd never do anything to compromise you or _us._"

"All right," I whispered, kissing the side of her montral for a moment. "Let's go see what the old man wants with us now."

She intertwined our fingers as we walked towards the exit of our dormitory. She squeezed my hand tightly before releasing it. We went out into the hallway and began our short trek towards the Council chambers.

Once we entered, I was shocked to see Obi-Wan standing by himself, peering out of the large window. "Master?" I said, announcing our presence.

He turned around, stroking his beard. "Anakin, we're considering taking Ahsoka away from you."

"What?" I yelled, losing every bit of my control. "Why would you do that?"

"She isn't safe with you around. I can tell that there's something wrong with you and she lied to cover it up for you. The last thing I want is to find out that you did something you shouldn't have to her. She's very young and under age, might I add."

I clenched my teeth tightly, balling my hands into fists. "There's nothing wrong with me. I'm not stupid. I'd never do anything to hurt her. She's my Padawan. What do you think I would do to her anyway?"

"Look at yourself, Anakin! You're a _mess!_"

"I've already explained the situation to you. I'm exhausted all the time. I just want to sleep and _you _won't allow it because you think there's something going on. There's _nothing _going on!"

Ahsoka grabbed my wrist. I glanced down and stared. I was shocked to see that I had actually gone as far as grabbing the hilt of my lightsaber while arguing with Obi-Wan. We've argued before, but never like this, not to this extent.

"Anakin," he whispered, stepping closer to me. "We need to have you checked out by a medical droid immediately." He glanced over at Ahsoka. "And you, too, for that matter, little one."

I pulled my lightsaber off of my belt and roughly shoved it towards Ahsoka. Once I felt her shaking hands grip the lightsaber, I lost it. I lurched forward, slamming Obi-Wan beneath me against the floor.

After several direct hits and violent swings, I began to take in the fact that Ahsoka was screaming and crying in a corner of the chamber. I stopped and quickly pulled myself away from the unconscious Master.

I stood, staring down at my bloody hands. _His blood._

I turned slightly to see Ahsoka staring up at me in fear. I ran to her, kneeling in front of her. "Shh, Ahsoka, it's okay. I'm okay. I'm sorry," I whispered. I gently lifted her face to look at me. "Talk to me, Ahsoka."

"That's… that's what would happen to me…"

I instantly felt horrible. I stroked her cheek and arm slowly. "I'm so sorry, Ahsoka. I'll never do that again. You know I would never do that to you."

She wiped her trail of tears away as another one began to fall. "You might. You and Master Kenobi were close. What if I get too close and I say something stupid? Would you beat me because –?"

"_Never._ I will _never _hurt you like that, Ahsoka. I'm sorry for not taking your fears into consideration before I acted out like that." I kissed her forehead as I continued to stroke her cheek. "It will never happen again."

I could tell that she didn't want to be in the room anymore. I slowly pulled her into my arms and lifted her. She protested through her tears, attempting to scream at me. I shushed her and held her head against my chest. "You're okay, Ahsoka."

I cautiously walked the halls of the temple, doing my best to avoid coming into contact with another member of the Order.

Once we were back in our dorm, I felt so much more secure. I walked Ahsoka over to her bed and laid her back on it. I put my hand on her stomach gently, rubbing small circles. She continued to sniffle and stare at me. "Master, I'm sorry."

"You have no reason to be. I'm the one that caused your suffering in there, Ahsoka. You just relax now, all right? I'm so sorry." I felt like there was more that I should say to her, something meaningful. Once I realized what it was, I hesitated. The hesitation only lasted for a moment because I had quickly decided that what I wanted to say was _meaningful_, but it was also very truthful.

I lay down beside her, stroking her cheek as her eyes slowly began to close. "_I love you, Ahsoka._"


	7. Chapter 7

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I left Ahsoka in our dorm, locking the door from the inside. I went back to the Council chamber quickly, jogging down the halls. Obi-Wan was still unconscious and bloody. "You better wake up, damn it," I muttered.

I knelt down beside him, feeling his neck for a pulse. I sighed in relief when I felt his heart beating. "You're on tough bastard, Master," I chuckled.

"Ana… Anakin?"

"Yeah," I grunted, lifting his upper body into my arms. "It's me."

"What… what happened?"

"I'll tell you later, Master. Right now, I need to get you to the medbay."

He reached up, brushing over his face. He groaned as I continued to drag him. "Why am I bleeding?"

"That's part –" I grunted again. "Of what I'll tell you – later, Master."

One more hallway, I thought to myself.

I pulled him through the door and managed to pull him up onto the medical bed. The droid wheeled over to me. "Do you require more tablets, General?"

"No. I'm fine. Just help _him_," I said, pointing to my bloody friend.

The droid began to wash his face, clearing the blood away. His nose looked broken, his eyes puffy, and his mouth continued to bleed. I must have slammed him pretty badly with my mechanical hand…

The droid injected a sedative into him. His hand rose quickly, outstretching for me. "Anakin…"

I gripped his hand. "I'm right here, Master."

"Are… are you… okay…?"

"I'm fine," I sighed. "Just relax. We can talk later, okay?"

He nodded slowly, closing his eyes. Once he was completely out, I pulled away. "Contact me as soon as he's awake."

"Yes, General."

I left and stood outside the door. "Mother kriffer," I muttered as I slid down the door.

I pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. I buried my head into my arms, beginning to give myself several reasons as to why I hate myself.

After a few minutes of wallowing in my self-loathing, I heard light footsteps coming towards me. A small, warm hand touched my hair. "Master, come back to the dorm."

Tears dripped into the fabric of my clothing. I was supposed to be her support, not have her realize that I was breaking. I couldn't let her see me cry, so I held completely still. She forced me to lean against her, wrapping her arms around my shoulder.

I wiped the tears away with the cloth on my arm. "Snips," I whispered, slowly raising my head. "I'm such a kriffing failure…"

"No, you aren't."

"I wish I would have died in that overdose…"

"Don't say that, Master."

"I hate my life…" I groaned, slamming my head against the wall.

She pulled my head back to rest against her. "Stop saying these things. They're hurting me…" she pleaded. She hesitated in what she wanted to say next. I tilted my head to stare up at her. "Master, do you hate _me?_"

I stared, getting hit immensely by those words. "No. I could never hate you."

"Come back to the dorm," she whispered. "You need some sleep."

She pulled me up, holding my hand as we walked back to the dorm. She led me to my bed and lay down beside me. She stroked my cheek lightly, smiling at me. "Do you mean what you said earlier?"

"I said a lot of things earlier. Be more specific, Snips."

She bit her lip, looking away for a moment. I reached up, pulling her face back towards me. "Do you really love me?"

"Yes," I said sincerely. "I really do."

Her smile widened as she scooted closer to me. She wasn't trying to push me now and I was glad for that. She cuddled up against me, pressing her palms against my chest. "I love you, too."

I kissed her forehead. "I'm going to try to stop the drugs."

"Really?" she asked, shocked.

"I don't want to hurt you the way I hurt Obi-Wan. I don't want to hurt _anyone _like that."

"You weren't thinking. You're trying to protect yourself and I'm trying to protect you as well. I just hope that you know how concerned we are for you though. Master, these drugs… they could kill you. I don't want to lose you. I've only known you for a few months, but we've bonded."

I threw my arm over her waist, rubbing her lower back. "I'm going to try to stop myself because I'm sick and tired of feeling uncontrolled and…" I sighed. "I just don't want to do anything stupid to you. I care about you, Ahsoka. I care more than you think I do. I know I'm a –"

"Human."

"What?"

"You're only human. I've heard the saying, but I never understood it until now. Master, you're going to make mistakes and do things you regret, but I'm always going to be here for you. I'm never going to leave you. No more tablets or purchases that you think I don't know about…"

I chuckled. "You would know about it, Snips. You are a very sneaky little girl."

"But you love me, so you'll put up with me."

I closed my eyes, cuddling up against her breasts. She was very warm for being so… _exposed._ I kissed the fabric quickly before relaxing. I heard her giggle as she ran her fingers through my hair. "Ahsoka?"

"Mm?"

"Do you want to be protected your first time?"

"What do you mean?"

I opened my eyes, tilting my head to stare up at her with a perplexed expression. "Do you want me to wear a condom the first time we have sex?"

I watched her face pale slightly. "I didn't even think about that."

I sat up, chuckling. "We need to talk about this. Without a condom, you _might _get pregnant."

She looked _so _sick. I pulled her into my arms, rubbing her back. "Are you having second thoughts now? I don't mind if you are."

"No," she whispered, clearing her throat. "I don't want you to use a condom for the first time. We'll see about it the second time."

"So," I laughed. "You're _already _planning on having _more _sex with me? We haven't even done it for the first time, you silly girl."

The stripes on her lekku darkened. "I think the first time will be great… for me anyway. I have no experience whatsoever…"

I shrugged. "You'll learn, sweetheart. No one is perfect the first time around. You just need to remember that this is _me _and I'm not going to judge you."

"Is this going to hurt me?"

"I have… no idea. It hurts some girls, I guess, but it doesn't affect others."

"Do you… do you think we could practice now?"

I smirked, kissing her nose. "I know you'd like that, but we'll practice when I say so."

She pulled her pouting look out and I chuckled. "Snips, you need time to think about this. Do you really want a baby at this age?"

"Would you help me take care of it?"

I raised my eyebrow, nodding. "I'd be its father, so yes. I'm not going to frak you enough times to get you knocked up just so I can leave you. _If _we have sex, we deal with the consequences _together._"

She smiled, putting the pout away. "Most guys wouldn't be caught dead saying what you just did."

I smirked, raising my hand to lightly stroke her cheek. "I'm not most guys."

"I figured that out after our first few nights together. I learned that you'd always be here for me. I scared you when I pulled out the knife, but you stay there to take it away from me. You held me in your arms as I cried and you didn't let go."

I kissed her lips quickly. "I felt like there was something about you when I saw you. I couldn't just sit there and watch you mutilate your body…" I moved my hand down to her hip, lightly rubbing the fabrics above the cuts and gashes. She shivered and I immediately pulled away. "Sorry."

"They don't hurt. It's just…" she stared into my eyes. "I disappointed you because I let the weakness control me."

"No," I whispered. "You didn't disappoint me. You _worried _me."

My comlink began to beep. I groaned, tapping the button. "Skywalker."

"_General Kenobi has awakened._"

"Thank you," I responded, closing the connection. We bounced off of the bed and began to head out of the dorm, walking towards the medbay.

"Master, how much do you know about Togrutas?"

"I only know what you tell me."

"When we make love for the first time, I'm _committed _to you. I can't have sex with anyone else. The Togruta way says that it would be considered as cheating if I left you. I know I'm so serious about you, but what if you decide that you love someone else, someone prettier? I –"

"Hey," I whispered, grabbing her hands. "If I wasn't serious about you, I wouldn't have told you that I love you. I don't want to trick you. And, for the record, no one's beauty can match yours."

She smiled hopefully, her eyes beginning to water. "I'm so kriffing in love with you, Master. If I lose you, I don't know how I'll survive…"

I wiped her eyes. "Don't think about that. You won't lose me. I can't just brush you off because you mean more than that to me."

Her eyes absolutely mesmerized me. I stroked her cheek. "You're _my _beautiful girl – inside and out," I whispered, leaning down to kiss her cheek. I held her hand as we began walking once again. "I'm always going to love you, Ahsoka."

She stepped closer to me, smiling widely. We released hands before entering the medbay. Obi-Wan was sitting up, holding his face in his palm. The door hissed behind us. Ahsoka sidestepped, hiding herself behind me. "Anakin…"

I tensed and felt sick to my stomach as he looked up at me. "Damn," I muttered. He actually looked _worse _now. "I'm so sorry…"

"I'm sorry for interfering in your life. I know you're very capable of taking care of yourself and Ahsoka is very capable of taking care of you as well. Can you tell me what's been going on? I want to help you, little brother."

"Master Kenobi –"

"Ahsoka," I whispered, looking over my shoulder. I turned back to Obi-Wan briefly. "I'm a recovering alcoholic, Master."

"Come here, Ahsoka."

She nervously stepped around me and walked towards him. "Has he done anything to you? Do _not _fear him."

I felt relaxed because I had nothing except the drugs to hide. There was nothing I had done to her. She shook her head. "He can control himself around me. He's actually helped me so much in the last few months."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Would it offend either of you if she were given a pregnancy test?"

"Go for it," I said quickly. I knew she'd say that it wasn't necessary, but that would draw an immense amount of suspicions around me. "We have nothing to hide."

He nodded and the droid wheeled over. Obi-Wan hopped off of the bed, motioning for Ahsoka to lie down. "It's going to scan you, Snips. We wouldn't be standing here if it were something else."

She stared at me with a very terrified expression. I walked closer to her – feeling Obi-Wan's eyes on my back – and gripped her hand. "Relax. It's just a scan. I promise you'll be just fine. Trust me."

She lay back on the bed, closing her eyes. The scan ran over her body, announcing that it was processing. "Results confirmed."

I felt Ahsoka panic. "That just means that it's done," I chuckled. "You have no reason to be afraid. You haven't done anything wrong."

We glanced back at Obi-Wan, now scanning over the results. "All right," he sighed. "I guess I'll start to believe you a little more now. There are no signs of penetration or… you get the point. Anakin, may Ahsoka and I speak alone, please?"

Wow. That scan could actually tell me if Ahsoka had ever had sex… Well, at least I knew she was still a virgin. That would probably make the first time a bit difficult for her…

"Certainly," I whispered. I let go of her hand. "Don't be afraid, Snips. He doesn't bite."

Ahsoka chuckled. "Call for help if you need me, Ahsoka," I smirked. "I'll be right outside."

"Get the hell out, Anakin," Obi-Wan snapped.

"Oh, stang!" I laughed. "_The Negotiator _said a profane word! That's not the Jedi way!"

"I'm going to commit another act that's not the Jedi way if _The Chosen One _doesn't leave."

I rolled my eyes, smirking. "I'll be in the dorm, Snips."

She was chuckling. "Yes, Master."

I spun around, leaving her with Obi-Wan. I could only imagine what he was going to say to her.


	8. Chapter 8

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Once Master Skywalker was gone, Master Kenobi turned to face me. My Master had banged up this man's face horribly with his mechanical right hand. "Ahsoka, you've opened yourself up to him?"

"Yes."

"Has he done anything to _force _you to speak? Everything you can be used against him if it comes to that."

"He's done nothing to hurt me. He's an amazing and caring Master. Why do you think so badly of him? If he hadn't chosen me –" I stopped, realizing that I was about to give myself away. The only person that I ever wanted to willingly share my secrets with was Master Skywalker.

"If he hadn't chosen you…?"

I shook my head. "Never mind."

"Ahsoka, I want to know everything."

"That's none of your business, Master."

"Anakin _is _my business, little one. What would have –?"

"I apologize for acting like this, but it's none of your kriffing business!" I shouted. "He can take care of himself."

"Can he take care of _you?_"

I felt my anger boiling. "Why do you think Master Skywalker is incapable of watching over me? All he's done is let me know that he cares about me. Is that a crime?"

"Of course not."

"Then this conversation is finished."

"Ahsoka, wait!"

He gripped my shoulder roughly and it took _everything _in me to control the scream that wanted to escape my lips. I carefully slid through the Force, sending a wave of panic towards my Master. I _needed _him.

Master Kenobi spun me around harshly, glaring. His grip on my shoulder tightened. "This isn't over until you tell me what's wrong with you both."

I whimpered, closing my eyes. All of a sudden, the grip was removed and a low growl erupted from behind me. I opened my eyes to see Master Kenobi about a meter in the air. My Master's arm wound around my waist protectively.

He threw Master Kenobi back against the far wall. "Stay the hell away from her."

I fearfully stared up at him. He looked _and _felt angry, his clenched teeth scaring me. I felt his fingers dig into my side as he held me. I felt his heart beating quickly, but if I wasn't sure if it was because of the drug or his need to protect me.

Master Kenobi stood up. "Anakin, I didn't mean to scare her."

"You did more than kriffing scare her! What were you going to do to her?"

"Master, please…" I begged.

"Why is she so afraid?"

"Force damn you, you mother –"

I pushed him backwards. "Stop it!"

I placed my hand on his chest, hovering over his heart. I stared at him, silently pleading him to take me back to the dorm and hold me.

He turned quickly and angrily, taking me with him. We walked out of the medbay and began heading back to the dorm. "Anakin, we need to talk!"

I watched him cautiously. His lips were trembling. He raised his other hand, lowering four of the five gloved fingers. "Bastard…" he muttered.

My fear built up to the point that I began to cry. We entered the dorm and he slammed my back against the door, kissing me fiercely. I cried out a little because he was causing me a bit of pain.

He pulled away, looking pained as well. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice shaking.

I quickly pulled him against me, rubbing his back. "Relax, Master." He was beginning to shake uncontrollably. His hands were balled up into fists, clenching and unclenching.

"Did he do anything to you?"

"No," I whispered, pulling my hands back to rest on his chest. "He just scared me a little…"

His eyes left mine, traveling down to my shoulder. "What's that?" he asked, his voice barely audible. I saw a small bruise forming.

"Master –"

"Damn it!" he cried out angrily, slamming his mechanical fist into the wall beside me. "I'm going to kill him!"

I shoved him backwards, pushing him to the floor. I had my legs on either side of his body and lay down on his chest. He took one of my hands, intertwining our fingers. "Master, please…" I whispered. "I can't see you violent again. You saw how I reacted the first time…"

He closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. I stared up at him until his eyes opened. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

He let his emotional barrier down so I could feel everything instead of a few emotions. I felt his pain, his sadness, but there was no anger. "Believe me now?"

I nodded slowly. His wave of emotions vanished into himself. "Why are you so sad?"

"I don't want to talk about it…" he said, looking away.

"Okay." I reached up to trace his cheekbone. I rubbed myself over him and a shiver ran through him.

"I just calmed down, Snips," he said, frustrated.

I pushed myself off of him and walked over to my bed, lying down. "Don't be like that," he muttered, struggling to get up.

He walked towards me, sitting in front of my legs. "You know I love you, but I want the first time to be good – perfect even – for you. I'm here to please you."

"I don't want a strictly physical relationship with you."

He began to rub my hip. "So… you actually want to be _with _me?"

"Yes."

He smiled, his eyes lighting up. I sat up a little and pulled him on top of me. "Want to be my boyfriend?" I asked, giggling. I brushed his hair out of his face to see his beautiful blue eyes. My other hand ran over his soft lips.

"I'd love to be your… _boyfriend,_" he chuckled, pressing his lower half down on me. "Since this is official, I feel the need to allow you to call me by my first name rather than my title."

"I can't call you Master?"

He shrugged. "You could if you wanted to."

"Anakin," I laughed, testing his name. "_Mm…_ Anakin…"

He smirked when I licked my lips. "I like the way you sound when you say my name. It…" he laughed. "It _turns me on._"

"Say my name."

He smiled. "Ahsoka," he whispered slowly.

My body got excited and Anakin realized it. He said my name again in the same way he did a moment ago. He rubbed his front against my entrance. "Anakin, can we just do _it _now?"

He made a sound, denying me. "Not yet."

I sighed, frowning at him. "Snips, we haven't sparred in a while."

I raised my eye markings at him. "You want to spar instead of make love to me?"

"I'm waiting for the right moment before we do anything."

He backed up, pulling me with him. "Come on. We can't stay in here _all _the time."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine."

I pulled our lightsabers into my hands, giving him his. "Race you there?" he asked, raising his eyebrow slightly to give me an adorable look that I couldn't resist.

"You're on."

We dashed out of the room and down the countless hallways, sprinting past younglings and Knights. A few younglings sneered at my happiness and the fact that I was Anakin's Padawan.

Before I realized it, I was forced down onto the hard floor, crushing my arm beneath me. I cried out, clutching the arm. Anakin's hands were on me, searching for a serious injury. After checking me out, he was gone. "Get the hell back here!" he shouted.

I got up slowly, cradling my arm against my chest. I looked down the hallway and didn't see him or anyone else.

Rough hands pulled my back, covering my mouth. I was pulled into a dark room and shoved against a wall. I felt hands roam my body while others tugged on my lekku. "Where's your Master now, huh?"

_That voice…_

I tried to cry out, but there was nothing I could do. I closed my eyes as two hands unhooked my tube top, tossing it aside. Those same hands grabbed my breasts, moving the light fabric of my bra so they could feel my skin. I frantically tried to send another wave of panic out to Anakin. I wasn't even sure if it went through.

My lekku were being scratched and pulled. Tears rolled down my face as my skin was rubbed. Someone else pulled my leggings and skirt down, slowly tracing the waistline of my underwear. I screamed for Anakin in my head, my fear and despair beginning to overwhelm me.

The thin fabric was being pulled down and a hand began to slide over my lower area. The other hands were roughly feeling my upper body, sending shivers up my spine.

I heard a loud crash and opened my eyes. I saw a tall, blurred figure standing in the doorway, but I felt _him. _I began to shake as the boys released me. I felt an immense force of fury and saw the younger boys fly backwards. I slid down to the floor, pulling my knees to my chest, holding my head in my hands.

"You're lucky I don't _kill _you all right this moment," he growled. His voice sounded… _dark._ "Get out!"

I heard footsteps quickly exit the room, but two heavy footsteps sounded the clearest as they neared me. I jumped into his arms as he knelt in front of me. "Anakin…" I whispered.

He gently stroked my rear lek. "I'm here. I'm here," he whispered. "That little bastard tricked me…"

"It's not your fault…" I gasped through my tears. "You didn't think –"

"Exactly! I didn't think! I should have been able to see this!" he shouted.

I pulled his face closer to me, kissing him slowly. I put my trembling hands on either side of his face, closing my eyes. I felt him pull my tube top into his hands and wrap it around me, hooking it up behind me. He slowly pulled me into a standing position without breaking the kiss. I admired him so much more as he pulled my leggings and skirt up, covering me up.

I pulled back slowly to stare up into his eyes. "I _love _you."

His shaking hand lifted to stroke my cheek. "I love you, too."

I wrapped my arm around his neck and he gently lifted the other arm. "Do you want me to take you to the medbay?"

"No," I said quickly. "It doesn't hurt that bad. I just want you to hold me."

He smiled weakly, wrapping his arms around me, clasping his hands behind my back. "That's something I can definitely do for you."

I buried my face into his chest, smiling against the warmth emanating from his body. He held my hand at his side, rubbing the back of my hand. He breathed slowly and I loved the movements of his chest. "Why do they think they can still hurt me?" I whispered.

"You're innocent and vulnerable in their eyes."

I sighed, rubbing his chest. "We'll make you stronger," he promised. "There will be times when I can't be there to protect you. I don't want anything to happen to my little girl…"

"You make me sound like your daughter," I laughed.

He tensed. "That is _not_ how I meant to say that. I –"

"I know, Anakin. Calm down. You're my…" I trailed off, lost. "I can't even say anything similar because you're the older one."

"Call me anything you want, sweetheart."

"I was going to call you my little boy, but that wouldn't make much sense."

He chuckled, kissing my montrals. "I _am _your little boy," he smiled. "I'm all yours."

I glanced up at him to smile. He ran his gloved fingers down the side of my face. "Anakin, I'm sorry for getting myself into –"

"This wasn't your fault. I wish I could have been here sooner, but this was not your fault." He kissed me passionately for a few moments, lightly tracing my rear lek's stripes. "And don't you even worry about them going after you again, Ahsoka. Once I get the Council involved, I'm sure they'll leave you alone."

"I hope so," I whispered against his chest.


	9. Chapter 9

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I got up decently early this morning. It's been a really long and exhausting month since the incident with the younglings and Ahsoka. I've only had two bottles of alcohol and snorted the damn drugs since Ahsoka's experience. I was so afraid that she would reject any form of comfort from me because she had almost been raped. I remember being angry, so kriffing angry, that it took everything in me to fight the temptation of slaughtering them.

She had looked so terrified and exposed when I saw what they were doing to her. Through the last week and a half alone, I got her to relax and stop worrying. The days prior to that were pure hell. She cried herself to sleep and I couldn't help her. Touching her in those moments caused her emotions to burst, making things much worse.

After about a week of that, I couldn't help but get high as hell and drink. I know it's not her fault and I'd never blame her for anything, but I couldn't bear my own emotions along with hers.

Two good things came out of this though. One, Obi-Wan finally stopped chewing us out every time he saw us. He'd begun to distance himself from us. And two, Ahsoka had met Master Luminara's Padawan, Barriss Offee, and they had become great friends. I learned through several conversations about the Padawans that Barriss had almost fallen to the dark side because of the hurt she was facing with younglings in the past, but Luminara had helped her. Both girls suffered beatings, but Ahsoka had dealt with almost being raped whereas Barriss had not.

I was still the only one that Ahsoka ever talked to about that topic. She only trusted me and I was glad to be there to hold her and tell her that I loved her and I'd do my best to protect her. She was innocent – well, kind of – and vulnerable, but that didn't mean I'd stand by and allow people to take advantage of her.

I sighed, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. The afternoon light was shining through the window, casting its beam on the beautiful girl on the opposite side of the room. I glanced over at her. She was sleeping heavily with her legs tangled up in the blankets. I shook my head, chuckling. This was _my _sleeping beauty. Tomorrow was her birthday, too.

She was still a little upset with me for not making love to her yet, believing that it was too late. Oh, how wrong she was. If she was up to it, tonight would be _the night._ I just needed her out of the dorm for a bit to set things up. I had everything planned out through probing her dreams full of fantasies. She was actually pretty accurate in some of those fantasies.

She did have some intriguing ideas, though I wouldn't go into that tonight. This was going to be simple and loving. Everything else could wait until she was ready.

I walked over to her bed and sat down on the soft mattress. I leaned over her body, kissing her cheek. She moaned, sighing. "Anakin?" she whispered, her eyes blinking slowly.

"It's me," I whispered, rubbing her back. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?"

"My legs hurt."

"From yesterday?"

She nodded slowly, burying her face into the pillows.

We'd sparred in a very rough fashion yesterday, testing each other's maximum abilities. She had me pinned down on the training mat and I kicked the back of her legs a bit _too _roughly, seriously injuring her for the time being. "I'm sorry…"

She turned over, lying on her back. "I know you didn't mean to hurt me. I forgave you when you carried me back here."

I frowned. "I felt horrible."

"I know." She pulled my hand onto her stomach. "How are _you,_ Anakin?"

I shrugged. "I'm okay as long as you are."

She smiled, sitting up slowly. The straps of her azure nightgown hung over her shoulders. I kissed her cool lips, lifting the straps into their proper position. "Get dressed," I whispered.

"Why? I thought we had the next few days off."

There was a light tap on the door. I smiled to myself as I went to open the door. "Hello, Barriss."

"Master Skywalker," she responded, bowing slightly. "I'm here to _kidnap_ your Padawan."

I turned and Barriss peered into the room. Ahsoka got off of her bed, grabbed her outfit, and walked into the refresher. "I see how much you love her."

I turned back to her, leaning against the doorframe. "If you're ever looking to do something for Cody, I'd be more than willing to distract him for the day. Thank you so much for this, Barriss."

She smiled. "I see Ahsoka told you about Cody and me," she laughed. "I'm glad to spend time with Ahsoka and I know you'll make her _really _happy tonight. When do you want her back?"

"Give me three or four hours. I've got to get everything and speak with Luminara. She said it's about Ahsoka."

"My Master thinks she's recovering very well."

"Oh? Well, I hope so," I whispered. Ahsoka came out of the refresher and stared at me. Her eye markings above her left eye raised a fraction.

"You're up to something, aren't you?"

Barriss stepped in, rolling her eyes. "Must you blame him for my arrival? Can't I spend time with you?"

"Of course," Ahsoka laughed. "I just thought he was trying to get rid of me."

She stopped beside me and I wrapped my arms around her. "I don't want to get rid of you, but I _do _want you to go out and have fun. You need some time to yourself and I think Barriss is a good friend to have around, you know, in case you want some girl time."

She giggled as I kissed her forehead. "I love you, Anakin."

"Love you, too, Snips," I smiled, resting my chin in the dip between her montrals. I rubbed her back slowly, my flesh hand rubbing her soft skin. "Go have fun, sweetheart," I whispered, putting a few gold credits into her hands. "Barriss will bring you back sometime soon. Buy something nice."

She chuckled, smiling widely up at me. "I'll see you later, love," she whispered, stretching her toes to kiss me quickly.

I kissed her once more, very slowly, before allowing her and Barriss to run off. I had a feeling that those two would keep out of trouble, but with Ahsoka around, who knows?

The door slid to a close and I quickly locked it, spinning around. I dashed over to my bed, pulling a heavy crate out from underneath. I opened it to see the scented candles that Ahsoka longed for, tons of rose petals, and condoms. Why the hell did I get the condoms?

I shook my head, pulling the container of rose petals out, scattering them from the doorway to her bed, tossing a bunch onto the bed itself. I spread them all over the bed until I thought it looked like her dream. I pulled the cover over them – again, something she wanted.

I put the candles on the nightstand. I wouldn't light them for a while since Ahsoka and Barriss wouldn't be back _here _for a while. I had actually created a holodisk that would play low, but relaxing music. There were no lyrics and it wasn't an upbeat or depressing kind of thing. It was just _there… _background music, if you will.

**Two and a half hours later.**

"What do you mean?" I asked, leaning forward in my seat.

Luminara sighed, closing her eyes. "I mean I fear that Ahsoka's mental stability may be in question. She's been lying to me during our sessions. She won't look me in the eyes when she speaks and I can tell that she's distracted. Has she said anything to you?"

I shook my head. "I haven't been told anything. Luminara, what do you think I should do?"

"I believe you should recall her to the temple and keep her within your dormitory. I wouldn't allow her out for a few days."

"Barriss said she was getting better," I sighed, rubbing my temples.

She rested a hand on my shoulder. "I fear that whatever she's keeping from me will haunt her forever. I know she's not a happy child, Anakin, but when we speak of you, the life inside of her brightens. I could feel the spark when she said, '_My Master is amazing_.'"

I choked back the shock, trying not to give anything away. "I'll… I'll try to figure out what she's holding back. I really don't want her to do anything to herself."

"She told me about how you got her to stop cutting herself. That's a wonderful progression, Anakin. Without you, I fear the worst may have happened to her. She could be –"

"She and I discussed that possibility and I still don't like to hear it."

She smiled warmly at me. "I understand that. I feel the same about my Padawan. Barriss is like a daughter to me, as Ahsoka is to you."

That made me feel sick. I didn't think of Ahsoka as my _daughter_. She was my lover, nothing less. I swallowed back the bile and nodded slowly.

Luminara dismissed me and I exited her personal dorm. I dragged my feet as I headed back towards my own dorm.

"Anakin!" Ahsoka's happy voice shouted from a distance. I turned to see her and Barriss carrying several new articles of clothing.

I smiled as I saw how cheerful she really looked. _This _wasn't fake. I walked over to her, kissing her cheek quickly. "Hey, you."

I glanced down at the clothes. There was nothing – _whoa._ I stared at Barriss, silently asking her what the hell. She actually allowed Ahsoka to buy lingerie. "Did you have fun?"

She nodded quickly. "Lots!"

I couldn't stop smiling. "You'll have to tell me all about it."

"Of course I will."

Barriss yawned – falsely. "I'd best get back to my Master. Take care, you two. Have a _good _night."

I rolled my eyes. Barriss, you are not the most subtle…

Ahsoka skipped ahead of me. _Stang! _She almost entered the room. "Hey, can you stay here for a minute?"

"Why?" she asked, turning slowly.

"Just give me a sec, please, love?"

She nodded. I walked past her, entering quickly. I closed the door, being careful of the petals I laid on the floor. I quickly lit the candles and turned the music on. I pulled her blanket back to reveal the petals on her bed. I walked back to the door, dimming the lights. Once I was satisfied, I opened the door. "Come in."

She walked in cautiously and dropped everything onto the floor. "Anakin, what's going on?"

She followed the trail of petals to her bed and I felt her shock. "Really?" she asked, staring up at me.

"If _you _want to, Ahsoka."

She closed the door quickly, locking it. I watched her throw her new clothes onto my bed. She dashed over to her own and plopped down on the center of it.

I chuckled, walking over to her. I slowly began to remove my vest and armor. Once those pieces were removed, I slid onto the bed, crawling on top of her.

"How did you know this is what I wanted?"

I smirked, kissing her lek. "I have my ways."

"Oh?"

I chuckled, licking her lek for a moment. "Do you want to keep talking or do you… you know?"

She raised her eye markings at me. "_You know?_ I thought I was the one afraid to talk about making love and having sex."

"I'm not afraid of saying it."

I rolled my eyes at her tiny smirk. I leaned down, kissing her lips. I rubbed her thigh slowly. She moaned lightly, running her fingers over my shoulders. "Are you absolutely sure about this?" I whispered.

"Yes."


	10. Chapter 10

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

"All right," I breathed. She smiled up at me as she lightly ran her fingers over my skin. I chose to begin with the foreplay, slowly removing her tube top.

Once it was off, I tossed it aside. I could see how excited she was already. I kissed her partially exposed left breast slowly, letting my tongue go where it pleased. She moaned as my right hand cupped the other breast. "Anakin…"

"This is just the beginning, love," I whispered, lifting my head. I slowly wound my hand behind her, unclasping her bra. I left it there, watching her.

"I'm ready for you," she moaned.

"Ahsoka, I don't know if I'll hurt you. If I do, I want you to tell me immediately. I want to show you how much I love you, but I don't want to hurt you in the process."

She nodded, closing her eyes. I tugged her boots off, throwing them beside me. They thudded onto the floor below us. I slid her leggings and skirt down her legs, feeling a bit guilty as I saw the scars on her hips. The leggings and skirt were now piled on the floor. I slid my boots and pants off before climbing on top of her again. I pulled the blanket over us like she'd imagined.

I slid my flesh hand down her body, reaching her entrance. I thought only for a split second before licking my fingers. She watched me with a curious look. I slowly put one finger inside of her and she gasped. I watched her face the entire time I slowly fingered her. "Tell me if you want me to stop."

"Keep going," she whispered. My member was throbbing and ready to go, but she wasn't ready yet. I could tell.

I put two fingers in, rubbing the area a bit harder. She moaned, breathing heavily.

After several minutes of fingering her, I felt that she was ready. "Ahsoka."

She nodded, smiling warmly at me. "Do you think I'm ready?"

"I think so, but are you? This could hurt you physically and emotionally…" I whispered. "I don't want to hurt you."

"I promise I'll tell you if I want you to stop."

I stared into her eyes and she nodded again. I breathed in slowly before spreading her legs further apart. I slowly inserted the tip of my member into her. She moaned as I pulled out, inserting just as slowly.

After making sure she was ready for more, I slid further in. I felt her wall and realized that she would definitely feel a bit of pain. "Ahsoka, this _is _going to hurt you."

"What are you going to do?"

"You're a little… _blocked. _I have to break you in order for me to give you more…"

She bit her lip, closing her eyes. "Go ahead," she whispered. I reached one hand up, grasping hers tightly.

"I love you."

"I love you, too," she said, smiling. I glanced around the bed for a moment to see that all of the rose petals were in their original positions.

I slid out of her slowly before thrusting into her with a bit more force. She cried out, arching her back. I saw tears roll down her face. "I can stop if you –"

She shook her head, opening her eyes. "The worst part is over," I whispered. "It'll be a little easier from this point on."

She nodded, rubbing my shoulders, trailing down my arms. I pulled out and entered again. She seemed to feel a little bit of pain, but I took everything slowly. I was tempted to stop because I hated to see her crying.

"Faster?" she asked me, her hands resting on my hips.

"Are you sure?" I grunted. She brushed my hair out of my face, smiling.

"I'm absolutely sure."

"Okay…" I said reluctantly. I pulled out and began to thrust into her quicker. I continued to do this, creating a rhythm. Sweat drenched both of our bodies as I kept going. The bed shook a little and she cried out or moaned.

"Anakin…" she moaned, grabbing my hair. She gasped. "I love you so much."

"I love you more."

After five minutes of roughly thrusting my member into her, she began to get a little louder. She actually screamed my name. I felt myself coming closer to cumming, but I didn't think that would really be appropriate…

I held on for about fifteen minutes before quickly releasing into her. She screamed, digging her fingers into my back. Her back arched as I continued to thrust in and pull out.

The entire process continued for roughly half an hour. I hummed the melody of the music playing in the background as I continued. She breathed heavily, smiling at me.

"I feel funny," she whispered.

"Do you think you're coming close to letting go?"

"What?"

I stared at her in disbelief. "Do you know what cumming is?"

She shook her head. "Oh, stang," I muttered. "Snips, the liquid I released into you was _my _cum."

"I don't know what that feels like!" she shouted as I pulled out of her.

"Relax," I whispered, stroking her cheek. "It's okay. Just calm down. I think you _might _be close to climaxing, but I can't tell…"

She threw her head back and I sighed. "Ahsoka –"

She closed her eyes, frowning. "Do you really want to know what it feels like?"

She held still for a matter of seconds before nodding. "Okay. I'm going to try to get you to climax. I just need you to relax. Focus on your fantasies and it'll be a little easier for you."

She laughed as I slid down her body. I licked her thighs, tracing the scars on her hips lightly with my fingers. I lowered my head towards her entrance and began to _eat _her out. She moaned in pleasure, throwing her legs over my shoulders. She felt like she was going to burst soon.

Once she did – and it took about three minutes –, I was surprised by her cry. She tasted wonderful. "Was… was that it?"

I pulled back, climbing on top of her again. "Yes."

"Anakin… I'm…" her eyelids began to drop slightly.

I chuckled. "Go to sleep, sweetheart."

I carefully moved myself off of the bed and dressed myself. "Ahsoka, do you want to sleep on my bed for the time being?"

She nodded silently. I chuckled, picking her up. "Can we shower first? I don't want to go to bed all sweaty…" she whispered.

"_We?_"

I felt her nod against my chest. I smirked as I entered the refresher. I stripped my pants once again and turned the water on. We got into the shower, standing in front of each other.

Her arms wound around my waist. "That was amazing," she whispered.

"_You _were amazing."

"I had no idea what I was doing…"

"I don't care about your amount of experience. How are you feeling?"

I stroked her cheek lightly before running my fingers down her lek. "I'm so tired and I'm so sore…"

I rubbed her lek. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

I licked the water droplets that ran down her cheek and lekku. She giggled, gripping my hand. She intertwined our fingers, kissing my chest.

After a few minutes of enjoying the water and each other's presence, I began to wash her. She wasn't that hard to wash actually, seeing as though she was tiny and had no hair. I helped her rinse the soap off of her body as she began to wash me. Her hands lingered near my member, lightly stroking it.

_Damn erection…_

She jumped a little, laughing.

Once we were completely soap free, we stepped out of the shower. I turned the water off and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her tiny body. I pulled one off of the rack for myself, wrapping it around my waist.

I lifted her chin, raising her head so I could kiss her. I slid my tongue into her mouth, slowly dancing with hers. She moaned, pressing a hand against my chest.

I pulled out of her mouth, smiling at her. "I love you, Ahsoka."

Tears rolled down her face and I grew concerned. "What's wrong?"

She wiped the tears away, laughing. "I didn't mean to get all emotional. That was so much better than I thought it was going to be. It hurt a little bit, but I'm glad I did it with_ you_."

"I'm glad you thought it was good," I smiled. "Come on, let's get dressed. Want me to stay with you?"

She nodded, leaning against me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders as we walked out of the refresher. I reached into my dresser and pulled out one of my bigger shirts, slipping it over her montrals and down her body. She lay on the bed, watching me dress myself. I threw a loose shirt and my pants back on.

I climbed into bed, lying down beside her. I threw my arm over her waist, smiling at her. "Anakin, when can we do that again?"

I chuckled. "When you're feeling better, so get some rest."

She scooted closer to me, pressing her palms against my chest. "Ahsoka, if I talk, will you listen?"

She nodded. "I talked to Luminara earlier. She's a bit… _perceptive._ She told me that you haven't been as open during your sessions recently. Is something wrong?"

She pulled away, staring up at me. I could feel the panic rising in her. I clutched her hand, staring into her eyes. "What's wrong, Ahsoka?"

"Nothing," she muttered. She turned over, facing the wall.

"She said you've been lying to her as well."

"Just stop," she whispered. "I don't want to talk about it."

I rubbed her back slowly. I didn't want to push her into talking about this, but I really didn't want to just drop it. "Frak it," I whispered. "Ahsoka, I'm concerned. Barriss told me you seemed to be getting better, so I thought that was great. I talked to Luminara for an hour about you. Everything she told me contradicted what Barriss said. I don't want anything to happen to you."

She sighed, turning over to face me again. Tears streamed her face. "I've been afraid of losing you, Anakin."

"Why?"

"You wouldn't do anything with me. I didn't know that you had all of this planned out. I was… I was considering…" she trailed off, rubbing her lek nervously.

"Hell no," I said immediately, pushing myself up. "You were not contemplating suicide because I wouldn't make love to you, were you?"

She looked away from me. "I thought you didn't love me. You always told me to stop when we came close. I didn't think you were going to want me around much longer. I can't live without you, Anakin. You're the only person I truly trust with my life. I can't talk to Luminara about this kind of thing because that would get us in trouble…"

I stroked her cheek lightly. "Don't you _ever _think that I don't love you again. I wouldn't have probed your mind to see what you were thinking if I didn't love you. I wanted this to be perfect for _you._ I've told you numerous times that I don't want you to leave me or vice versa, so why would you think that?"

"You're the only one I've ever opened myself up to freely…" she whispered. "I love you and I _need _you. I thought that there was something wrong with me…"

I lay back down and pulled her body against me. I kissed her lightly. "There is _nothing _wrong with you. You're beautiful, wonderful, and I'd never trade you for anyone. They'd have to be a Togruta, nonetheless, though."

She smacked my chest, laughing. "Really?"

"It appears as though I've fallen more in love with your race than my own, so yeah. I'd be looking for a _specific _Togruta to replace you with."

She smiled, nuzzling her face into the crook of my neck. "Thank you for everything, Anakin. Everything you do for me is wonderful."

I kissed her lek. "I love you, Snips."


	11. Chapter 11

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

Ahsoka and I walked into the mess hall in the middle of the night, hand in hand. She seemed to be happy, releasing happy feelings, but I knew she was in pain. She was in _emotional _pain.

"Do you want to tell me anything?" I asked, staring down at her as we walked towards the area that stored all of the extra food.

She shrugged, tightening her grip on my fingers. "Not really. I'm fine, Anakin. I wish you'd stop worrying about me already. You act like I'm going to disappear."

I sighed, closing my eyes. "After what you said earlier, I'm nervous."

"And after what you said earlier, I'm upset," she responded, her voice cool.

"Why?"

"Because I'm not allowed to leave the temple unsupervised now. Why? Because you and Luminara believe I'm crazy."

"We don't think you're crazy," I said quickly, tugging her towards me. She pulled away, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh?" she asked, raising her left eye markings. "Then why am I not allowed to leave? If I can't leave, that means I can't go on missions with you, right? She told me that she wants to see me twice a day from now on!"

"When did she say this?"

She sighed in frustration. "She told me while you were asleep. I went to see her."

"Did she say anything else to you while you were there?"

"She told me that she's concerned for my well-being and that I should at least open myself up to you a little more. Did you tell her that I'm not talking to you?" she asked, her voice getting angrier as each word came out of her mouth.

"I told her that you weren't telling me anything recently. You told me everything earlier though. Just relax, all right? Luminara and I aren't here to upset you. We're here to _help _you. We _want _to help you."

"What about you? You're a kriffing drug addict!"

I glared and walked past her. I balled my hands into fists as I entered the storage area. I slammed my flesh hand against the metal wall. _Stupid idea._ "Agh!" I cried out.

My hand was shaking with the amount of pain coursing through it. Ahsoka dashed into the room, grabbing my hand quickly. "What'd you do?"

"Nothing," I muttered as I grinded my teeth together.

I pulled away from her, holding my hand against my chest as I walked to the back of the room. What she said had been true. I was addicted to drugs, but I hadn't done any recently. It still _hurt _for her to say that.

She wrapped her arms around my waist, her face touching my back. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"What?"

"I didn't mean to hurt you when I said that."

I spun around, raising my eyebrow. "Did you read my mind?"

She bit her lip. "I noticed that when you're upset, I can break through your barrier…"

"The reason I have a barrier is so you stay _out _of my mind!"

"Anakin, I'm –"

"Stay out of my head! I don't want you in there! I have a barrier up so I can _protect _you! Don't you get it? My emotions, my thoughts… they'll hurt you."

I felt dizzy all of a sudden. "What… what are you doing?"

Her soft fingers traced my cheekbone. "Don't fight me," she whispered. "Let me meld with you."

"No," I grunted, closing my eyes. I felt her trying to break my mental barrier, but I couldn't let her. I had to be strong enough to keep this up until she gave in and quit.

"_Anakin,_" she whispered into my mind. I gasped. _She broke through._

I felt her feelings and thoughts wash into me. We had finally created a bond, but I didn't want to. She would always be able to hear my thoughts…

She gripped my hand, holding it tightly. "I love you. I want us to be closer. With our bond, we can't keep secrets from each other. I'm going to let you hear everything."

I forced her out and put my wall back up. "No," I growled. I could still hear her thoughts, but I had blocked myself from her.

"Anakin!"

She slammed me against the metallic wall, holding my hands up near my shoulders. "Let me inside your mind, Anakin."

She moved her lips to my neck, licking my skin. I shivered, moaning. "Don't make me do this, Ahsoka."

"Do what?"

I outstretched my fingers, pulling the door closed. I locked it all in the same motion. "Do it," she smirked.

I sighed, closing my eyes as she bit my neck. "Ahsoka… _not here._"

She started to slip my shirt over her head, exposing her orange skin. I rubbed my gloved, mechanical fingers up her side, caressing her breast. "My other hand hurts," I whispered.

She stared up into my eyes, lightly rubbing my other hand that hung at my side now. I kissed her jaw, planting kisses all the way down her neck until I reached her collarbone. I licked her skin until I reached the breast that I was holding.

I licked her nipple for a moment before beginning to suck on it. She moaned, stroking my hair. I moved my hand down her body, slipping into her leggings. She decided that walking around with only my shirt on was a bit inappropriate…

She shivered as my mechanical fingers slipped into her entrance. I fingered her slowly. She moaned, letting gasps of pleasure escape her. I licked her nipple again and she gasped a little louder. "Ana – Anakin…" she moaned.

I pulled my mouth away from her body, shifting sides. I began to lick and suck on the neglected breast. My tongue went wild, as did the rest of my body. I'd never done this with Padme.

There was a light knock on the door. "Ahsoka?"

_Obi-Wan, you bastard._

"Stang," I whispered as I quickly pulled back. I pulled my hand out of her, searching quickly for something to wipe it off with. She was so frakked because I'd gotten her excited and we'd been interrupted. I found a towel on the far end of the room and quickly wiped away the wetness on my fingers.

I turned around after a moment to see her clothes in perfect order. She opened the door, greeting Obi-Wan. "Master Kenobi."

I pretended to be searching through the crates for something to eat. "You're both in here?"

"Snips was hungry," I muttered. "She's paranoid about coming in here alone."

Ahsoka glowered at me, sighing. "Did you need us, Master Kenobi?"

"Actually, I meant to talk to your Master, but seeing as though you're both here, I guess I can speak with you both."

Ahsoka glanced back at me nervously. I continued to rummage through the crate, attempting to keep myself occupied. I was still kriffing upset with him. The last time we actually spoke was an argument and I ended up giving him the finger to end it.

His silence frustrated me. I glanced over at him. He was _checking Ahsoka out_. "What the hell are you doing?"

Ahsoka glanced up at him, a sickening look crossing her expression very briefly. I tossed the bag of food back into the crate, storming over to them. I stood in front of Ahsoka, glaring at Obi-Wan.

"Obi-Wan, why the frak were you looking at her like that?"

His eyes wouldn't meet mine. He stared down at the floor. "I wasn't looking at her in the way you're suggesting."

"Why did you come in here?" I pressed.

"I told you that I wanted to talk to you both."

"Then _talk._"

"Anakin, may I speak to Ahsoka alone, please?"

Her fingers dug into my back – even through the fabric. "That's _her _call." I twisted to look over my shoulder at her. "Ahsoka?"

"_Don't leave me,_" she whispered into my head.

"Damn you," I thought back. "I said stay out of my head."

"_Frak me._"

"I will when we get back to the dorm."

"_I don't think he wants to _talk _to me, Anakin._"

"I'll stand right outside. I won't hesitate to kick his ass if he hurts you or makes you uncomfortable in anyway."

"_No. I want you to stay with me._"

I sighed internally, turning to face Obi-Wan. "Anything you say to _my _Padawan can be said in front of me as well, unless you're keeping a secret from the Council?" Ahsoka sidestepped to stand beside me.

He looked nervous. I scrutinized his every move and I watched his eyes trail down her body, locking on her breasts. _He licked his lips._

"Ahsoka," I growled. "Step out of the room."

"Master –"

"_Right now!_" I yelled, turning to face her angrily. I hadn't meant for my anger to turn on her. I just didn't want her to witness anything.

She stared up at me, on the verge of tears. I watched her quickly retreat from the room.

"It's a wonder you haven't frakked her yet, Anakin. How do you deal with her beauty?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I snapped. "Aren't you the bastard that used to say '_attachments are forbidden, Anakin_'?"

"That was before I met your Padawan. She makes me want to frak her so bad…" he trailed off. "I want her to be my bitch for one night."

"She's no one's bitch. She's my Padawan and you _will _respect her."

"I'll respect her," he said. "As long as she gets into bed with me."

I slammed him with my mechanical hand, throwing him backwards once again. "If you so much as touch her inappropriately, I _will _kill you."

"That's not the way of the Jedi!"

"And _rape _is?" I sneered. "She doesn't want to frak you and I doubt she ever will."

"I wouldn't look at it that way, Anakin. That's such a harsh word."

"Having sex with her against her will _is _considered rape and that's how I'm going to look at it!"

He pushed himself up, walking closer to me. "Would you like me to tell the Council about your alcohol and the drugs?"

I was taken aback. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm no fool, Anakin. I know you're doing drugs and you admitted to drinking. Just think how that would affect your reputation as a Jedi. What would Ahsoka think? She respects you as her Master. I might even tell the Council that you knocked her up or something."

"Have you lost your mind?"

"Not at all. I'm quite sane."

"_What's he saying to you?_"

"Damn it, Ahsoka," I whispered to her. "He wants to have sex with you."

I felt her fear wash into me. I stared into Obi-Wan's eyes, raising my eyebrow. _You hypocritical bastard._ "He's drunk, Ahsoka."

"_Anakin, get out of there._"

Before I realized what happened, Obi-Wan swung at me, knocking all of my breath out of me. I crumpled to the floor and he ran out. I heard Ahsoka scream.

Even though I couldn't breathe, I jumped up and ran. I raised my hand, pushing him with the Force. Ahsoka ran to me, pressing herself against me. I wrapped my arm around her and began to calm myself, breathing little bits of oxygen at a time.

"Anakin…" she whispered, burying her face into my chest. I pulled his comlink into my palm, pressing a button.

"I need assistance in the mess hall _immediately._"

"_Skywalker?_" Windu replied.

"Yes! Get the hell down here now!"

I held Obi-Wan in the air with my free hand, my other one comforting Ahsoka. She was crying into my chest out of fear.

Windu and Master Plo entered the mess, staring at the three of us. Plo ran to us, grabbing Ahsoka. "Little Soka, what is troubling you?"

I set Obi-Wan down and Windu grabbed him. "He's under the influence and he tried to violate Ahsoka," I whispered as I neared Windu.

He stared at me like I was crazy. "I'm not kriffing kidding! Look at the drunken fool!" I shouted.

I glanced back at Ahsoka to see her staring at me. "Don't worry," I whispered into her mind. "I'm going to protect you."

She nodded slowly, smiling weakly at me as tears rolled down her face. The embrace of Master Plo didn't help her one bit.


	12. Chapter 12

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

He kept staring at me.

Master Plo sat beside me, his arm around my shoulders, but Anakin… he sat across from me and his eyes wouldn't look anywhere else.

The door to the mess hall hissed and I jumped. Anakin nearly leapt across the table to grab me. Plo stared at him. "Relax, young Skywalker."

"I apologize," he whispered, diverting his attention to the table. Master Windu entered, sitting beside Anakin.

"We have Master Kenobi going through detoxification methods to clear his system. There will be no more incidents like the one that just occurred." He turned to face Anakin. "Obi-Wan said you would be a worthy Master. You _are _proving yourself."

I saw his fingers clench as he nodded. "_He's lying._"

I stared at him in disbelief. How could he think Master Windu was lying to him?

I slowly began to nibble at the food that Anakin had gotten me a little bit ago. "Ahsoka," Master Windu announced, gathering my attention. "Have you had similar incidents with anyone else?"

I glanced at Anakin to see him silently begging me to tell him the truth. "No. No one else has acted this way with me. This was the first time."

"If you'll excuse me," Anakin said, standing up. I watched him walk away from the table, his fury boiling just as hot as the lava on Mustafar. He stepped through the threshold, leaving me alone with Master Plo and Master Windu.

I knew that I had nothing to fear though. Master Plo was just as protective of me as Anakin was, though he didn't know anything close to what Anakin did. "Why did he storm out like that?"

I shrugged, moving my tray of food away. I leaned down onto the table, closing my eyes. "Little Soka, what's wrong?"

"Anakin, I'm sorry," I whispered through our bond. "Can you please come back?"

"_No._"

"Why?"

"_Because I'm sick of keeping the hurt you have to face a secret. I want to help you and you can see that they do as well. They don't want something like Obi-Wan to happen to you. _I _don't want something like that to happen to you._"

"Come back…"

I could feel the turmoil inside of him as he decided whether or not he should listen to me. "_Fine._"

I cracked a half smile. I sat up straight to stare at Master Windu and Master Plo. "Little Soka?"

Within a few moments, the doors swished open and Anakin stepped over the threshold. He glanced at me and I could see that he was, once again, begging me to spill everything.

His boots clomped across the floor until he sat beside Master Windu. "Is everything all right, Skywalker?"

"I think so," he responded, his voice just above a whisper. He nudged my foot with his boot and I sighed. "You okay, Snips?"

I nodded, kicking his foot. "Yeah, I'm all right, Master."

"_What a wonderful kriffing start to your birthday…_" he sighed. "_I'm sorry…_"

"Don't worry about it," I whispered back to him. "I know you're going to make my day perfect. Wow, I can't believe I'm sixteen now."

I saw him smirk before lowering his gaze. Master Plo kept glancing between us. "Is there something I should know, Little Soka?"

Anakin's uneasiness was only brief. I hugged Master Plo and I could tell that Anakin was just a little _jealous _for the moment. "Nope, Master."

I glanced back at Anakin. "I'm actually pretty tired now. Would it be okay if I went back to bed?"

He nodded. "Of course, Ahsoka." I could see that he was trying to keep himself from running over to me and carrying me back to the dorm.

He stood up at the same time that I did. "Good night, Masters," he whispered before walking out of the mess hall with me.

He took my hand, keeping me close to him. "Anakin, I know you're worried and upset. I can't tell them because they'll start assuming that you've done something to me."

He glanced down at me. "I _have _done something to you."

"But I wanted you and that's going to be hard to explain to them."

We entered the dorm and he sighed deeply. "I don't know about this, Ahsoka. I need you to tell someone about what's happened with the younglings. You can't keep hiding this. Why not tell Luminara?"

I glared at him. "I can't tell anyone. Anyone can use this against me. I trust _you _with this because I love you. I don't want anyone else to know. I've got you, my dear Jedi Knight. I don't need anyone else involved."

He half smiled at me as I led him towards his bed. I crawled on, putting myself against the wall. I turned to watch him climb in beside me. I placed my hands on his chest, scooting closer to him. "I love you."

He moved forward a bit, kissing me. "I love you," he whispered in response.

I pulled him back to me, kissing him again. I didn't want to let him go.

His arm draped over my side, running along my back lightly. I shifted my legs so that I had one between both of his. I moved my lower half closer to his.

I almost burst into laughter at how hard he was already. I pulled back to gasp. "Wow, Anakin."

I could see that he was frustrated with himself. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

He moved, lying on his back. I watched his eyes close. "I've been meaning to ask you something," I whispered.

"What's that?" he replied, keeping his eyes closed.

"You… you know…"

He opened his eyes, his expression becoming perplexed. He chuckled as he turned his head towards me. "That didn't make sense."

"You remember how you got me to climax, right?"

"Yes," he laughed. "I was there. Do you want me to do it again?"

I shook my head. "That's not what I'm getting at. I mean, you're erected _there_, so maybe…"

His eyes widened a little. "Do you actually want to do that?"

I stared at him, now feeling unsure of myself. "Ahsoka, I don't want to make you do anything, so I'm leaving the decision up to you. It's your mouth."

I laughed a little. "But it's your…"

His eyebrow rose a bit. "I wouldn't object to it, but this is _your _decision. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

"How did you just naturally… you know?"

"_Eat _you?"

I buried my face into his chest. It felt nice when he chuckled. "I knew you had to be somewhat close, so I thought that maybe _that _was the best way to finish you up. You tasted good, too."

My lekku stripes darkened. "I want to taste you."

"Your voice is shaking," he said, stroking the side of my face. "I know you don't want to do this. I'm completely fine with that. The last thing I want is for you to feel like you have to _suck _me."

I lay back on the pillows, smiling. "You're amazing."

"I just care about you."

I reached down, grabbing _him._ He moaned as I stroked _him _lightly. I pushed him onto his back and slowly began to slide down the bed. I pulled his trousers down a little before he stopped me. "You don't have to," he whispered.

I could see the seriousness in his eyes. I felt _guilty._ He had given me pleasure, but I was too afraid to do the same thing for him. "Ahsoka, don't feel guilty."

I tried to undress him further, but he stopped me again. He pulled me on top of him, kissing me briefly. "Don't feel like you _have _to do anything. We could go our whole lives without you ever having to do it. It wouldn't bother me. I love you and _this _is _just me._ You trust me and you feel safe with me. This one thing could jeopardize the entire relationship."

"I want to do this."

"No. You _think _you want to do this. You're trying to keep up with me." He pushed himself up, crossing his legs. He held me in his arms, rocking slowly. "I'm _not _going to push you. You go at your own pace."

I sighed. "Can we make love again?"

He smiled warmly. "That depends on how you're feeling down there."

He slid his hand down my body, running down my legs. He rubbed the fabric above my entrance. "I think I'm ready for you again."

He smirked, closing his eyes as he kissed me. I put one hand on his chest, the other on his cheek. "I love you," I whispered into the bond.

"_Get out of my head,_" he teased.

"I can't talk while kissing you."

He began to rub my rear lek. I moaned into his mouth as my sensations began to run wild. He slowly began to fall backwards onto the pillows.

I pulled back quickly. "Why am I on top?"

He laughed. "You do realize that it'll work this way, too, right?"

Again, he laughed at my expression. "Do you want me on top?"

I felt heat flood into my lekku. I looked away from him, feeling stupid. He gently pulled my face back towards him. He stared into my eyes, smiling. "Making love is something special. If you want it a certain way, then you need to tell me. We're in this _together._"

"I… I know we haven't tried it the other way, but…" I trailed off. "I like _you _on top. I don't know what I'm supposed to do when I'm there. I feel nervous…"

He kissed my hand. "If that's what you want, then that's what you'll get… _birthday girl._"

I smiled. He continued, "You know I'm going to do everything in my power to make you happy today, tomorrow, and forever, right?"

"Just stay with me," I whispered. "And you'll make me the happiest girl alive."

A comlink began to beep. I leaned over to grab his comlink from the nightstand. He gently took it from me, pressing the button. "Skywalker."

"_Anakin, this is Luminara. Is your Padawan with you?_"

He glanced at me nervously. "Yes."

"_Can you send her down to my personal quarters? I would like to speak with her._"

"Damn it," I muttered.

He covered the com, chuckling. "Watch your language, little one." He removed his hand from the com, speaking into it once again. "I'll send her there momentarily."

"Wait, can Master Skywalker come with me?" I asked, interrupting their conversation.

I could hear the shock in Master Unduli's voice as she answered, "_Of course he can come._"

"All right," Anakin sighed, raising his eyebrow at me. "_We'll _be there momentarily."

He closed the connection, pulling me down for another kiss. His hand went beneath my rear lek, rubbing against my back. I smiled against his lips, wanting more and more of him as the seconds ticked by.

He pulled away abruptly, licking his lips. "Let's save some for when we get back. Come on, Snips."

I chuckled at the nickname. We climbed off of the bed and walked towards the door. I stepped in front of him before we exited the dorm. I pressed my hand's against his chest, staring up at him desperately. "Whatever she has to say about me isn't true. I'm not crazy and I _am _recovering. You've helped me so much. She just doesn't know that."

He laid his hands on top of mine. "I understand, sweetheart. That's what I'm here for."

"You're here for more than just making me feel better."

"Hm," he smirked. "I'm here to make love and magic. I think I'm pretty amazing."

I giggled, rubbing his chest. "You _are _amazing, Skyguy."

He bent down a bit to kiss my nose and lick my cheek. "Love ya, Snips."

I smiled, winding my arms around his skinny, but strong, waist. "I love you, too."

"All right," he sighed. "Let's go see what Luminara wants now."


	13. Chapter 13

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I sat beside Ahsoka, staring at her during the entire session. I could tell that she was having a difficult time keeping her composure because Luminara was bringing up very hurtful things from her past.

"Ahsoka, I've learned all of this from your medical records. If you just tell me about everything that's happened, I'm willing to –"

"Just stop talking," she whispered. She turned to look at me and now there was a bit of anger in her eyes. "Stop looking at me. I'm fine, all right? Just stop being so worried. It's only going to make things worse."

"Ahsoka, just listen to –"

"Shut up!" she screamed at me. She held her head in her hands tightly, trying to block out Luminara and me. "Just… shut up…"

I glanced at Luminara. She wore the same worried expression as me. I stood from my seat and knelt down in front of her. "Ahsoka, look at me."

"Can I go back to my dorm now?"

I turned to see Luminara nod. I pulled Ahsoka into my arms, helping her into a standing position. We left Luminara's dorm and began to head back to our own in a horrifying silence.

Once we entered the dorm, Ahsoka broke down into tears, holding me as I rested my chin in the dip between her montrals. "I want to die so much…" she cried against me, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I'm not going to let you kill yourself," I whispered. I lifted my head and pulled back to level myself with her. "You listen to me right now, okay? I don't care how much you hate your life right now. This _isn't _the worst part of it. Living through that hell is what hurts. Luminara wants to help and I want you to have help. I'm no healer, so I don't know what to do to make you feel better…" I sighed. "I just love you so much and if you did something to yourself, I'd never be able to live with _myself _because I couldn't prevent this from happening."

I pulled her into a tight embrace. "I'm not going to let you go, Ahsoka."

Her arms wrapped around my neck and her fingers gripped my hair tightly. She kissed my neck slowly, tears falling onto my skin. I rubbed her back slowly, kissing her right lek.

"Ana – Anakin…" she whispered, wrapping her arms around my neck tighter. "I – I love – you."

"Shh," I whispered. "I love you, too, sweetheart. I always will. If you think you've got nothing to live for, then look at me. You need to live for me or I'll lose everything."

"I won't do anything stupid."

I sighed, smiling. "You'd better not."

She pulled away, taking me towards my bed. She lay on her back, pulling me on top of her. I continued to smile as she undressed me. She threw my shirt and pants to the floor. I slid her leggings down her legs and my shirt up and over her head, leaving us both fully exposed.

I kissed her slowly and passionately, running my hand down her body. I moved my hand back up, pulling away from the kiss. She grabbed my hand before I could lick my fingers. She decided to do that herself, tasting and playing with my skin. Her tongue felt nice.

"Okay," she whispered.

I smirked, moving my hand down to her entrance. I slid one finger in, moving it slowly to rub her sides. She moaned in pleasure. I could feel her getting excited, but I decided to give her more little things before diving in. I slid another finger in and began rubbing her.

"Anakin…"

She was absolutely ready now. I pulled my hand back and positioned myself to hover above her. "Start slowly, please…" she whispered. I could see that she was embarrassed for asking me to do that, but I was proud of her.

"Anything you want."

She smiled as I slid part of my member in and pulled out. "You don't have to be _that _slow. You can go all the way in. Just don't slam into me…" she sighed, closing her eyes. "Never mind. Just do what you want."

"Ahsoka, I'm going to do this any way you want. I'm glad you're telling me what you want."

I went in and came out, repeating it slowly. She moaned, rubbing my shoulders.

I kept going for almost twenty minutes before she asked me to go faster. I listened to every word, every moan, and watched every expression. She kept telling me to go faster until I accidentally thrust quickly and deeply into her.

She let out a small scream and tears ran down her face. I stopped immediately. "Ahsoka, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

I wiped her tears away and she told me to do it again. I stared at her incredulously. "It really hurt you. Why would I do it _again?_"

"It felt great," she whispered. "I was shocked by how far you could go into me though…"

I watched her face. Through our bond, I could see that she was telling me the truth. I gave her what she wanted and continued for another fifteen minutes before I finally came inside of her.

She screamed my name, digging her fingers into my shoulders. After I had finished, I found myself completely exhausted. I pulled out and rolled over onto my back.

"Are you… are you okay?" she asked, turning her head.

I nodded, closing my eyes. "I see that you're exhausted, but you kind of… left me hanging…"

I opened my eyes to stare at her. "Time for something new, Snips. Put your entrance above my mouth and I'll get you to climax."

She looked nervous, but she wanted it. She raised herself up and moved to position herself above me. She lowered herself until she felt my tongue inside of her. I held her thigh tightly as I _ate _her. She moaned, throwing her head back.

Again, after three minutes, I was able to taste her juices in my mouth. I swallowed as she lifted herself to move and lie down beside me.

She rested her right hand on my cheek, smiling at me. "I'm so happy to be with you," she whispered. "There are plenty of girls – women even – that you could have chosen to be with, but you chose _me._ I feel like the luckiest girl alive."

"You're the only girl alive." I mentally kicked myself. What a stupid thing to say when your girlfriend admits the amount of happiness you give her!

She chuckled. "That's not stupid. It just means that you don't pay attention to other girls."

"You're the only girl that I'd ever dream of spending the rest of my life with. I can't imagine someone better to take your place. You're _my _love."

She smiled, scooting closer to me. She cuddled up against me, closing her eyes.

**Later.**

I rolled onto my side and was surprised to feel emptiness beside me. I sat up, rubbing my eyes. I saw a light shining from beneath the refresher door, leaving a small trail across the floor.

I pushed myself up, pulling my pants on. I walked over to the door and knocked on it. I heard a small sound, like she had jumped. Had she _not _expected me to wake up? "Ahsoka, are you in there?"

No answer.

I tried to open the door – _locked. _I used the Force to slide it open. "Ahsoka!" I shouted, reflexively pulling the object out of her hands.

I stared at the _lightsaber _in my hands. _My _lightsaber. "What the hell –" _Blood._ There was blood all over the refresher. My heart ached as I saw newly opened wound on her wrists, waist, and hips.

She tried to pull my robe around her body, but I forced her into my arms, releasing my lightsaber. I heard it clatter to the floor and I didn't give a damn. I couldn't help the fact that tears were streaming down my face either. I held her tightly, wishing that she hadn't done this to herself. "Why?" I managed to gasp.

Her hands were pressed against my back. "I'm so sorry…"

After several minutes of silence, I managed to get her into a warm bath. She wanted me to get in with her, but I _refused. _I pulled my knees up to my chest, watching her stare at me sadly as I leaned against the far wall.

"Anakin –"

"_Don't. _Just don't even talk right now," I said angrily.

She leaned back, sighing. My eyes didn't leave her face. "I didn't want to hurt you…"

"What the frak _did _you want to do then?" I almost shouted.

"I –"

"You wanted to _die_," I said coolly, attempting to keep a level head. "Well, under different circumstances, you may have succeeded. You got _so _upset with everything and didn't even think about how it would affect _me._ It's all about you, isn't it? I could start doing drugs again and you'd _never _know it."

"You know that's not true!"

"I've known you for almost a year. It's _all _you! _You _wanted me. _You _got me. _You _were almost raped. _You _expect me to be here. It's _you, you, you…_"

"Anakin, please –"

"No!" I finally lost it, shouting. I slammed my mechanical fist against the durasteel floor. "When does it _end?_ When am I included? You've told me that I'm helping you. _How can you even say that?_"

She ignored me, beginning to wash herself. I stood up and walked around the refresher, picking up every last sharp object I could find. She stepped out, wrapping a towel around herself.

I threw all of the knives and razors and such into a pack that I'd get rid of later. I threw it to the floor and leaned against the counter top, pinching the bridge of my nose while closing my eyes. She leaned against my back, her soaking lekku dripping down on my skin. "You _are _helping me. I'm just stupid and blinded by sadness."

Her fingers rubbed my stomach. "I love you and I'm so sorry, Anakin…"

I turned slowly. "If I _ever _find you hurting yourself _or _even _thinking _about it, I _will _get my partner to resupply me with drugs _and _I'll restrict our time together."

"You wouldn't."

"Yes, I kriffing would! Don't even test that because I am _so _damn serious."

Her lips quivered a bit. "Don't make me say hurtful things to you, Ahsoka. That makes me less of a boyfriend and more of a _father._"

I was now facing her. She stared at me sadly again. "I'm so sorry for this, Anakin. I didn't realize that you'd hurt yourself if I did something _stupid._ I don't want anything to happen to you."

I put my hands on either side of her face and gently pulled her in for a kiss. It was a slow, emotional kiss. She let all of her feelings rush into me and I _unwillingly _did the same.

She pushed me out of the refresher sideways, not breaking the kiss. We finally hit the bed and she was on top of me, smiling. "Can I try this?"

"Be my guest," I whispered.

She pulled my pants down, releasing my erected member. I watched her nervously lift herself up and scoot herself into a position close to my member. She lowered her entrance onto me, gasping a little as I slid inside of her. She held the towel tightly around herself as she began to ride me.

I moaned as she started to move faster. "Mm… Ahsoka…"

I felt her cum onto my lower half. "I'm so sorry!" she said, obviously not realizing what she had done.

"Ahsoka," I laughed. "You hit your climax on your own this time."

"Really?"

"Yes, sweetheart."

She smiled and I laughed. "_Your turn._"

"I'm fine," I responded.

"Oh, come on, Anakin," she chuckled. "You always do it when you're on top."

I sighed, rolling my eyes as I gently flipped our positions. "All right, Ahsoka, have it your way."

I began to thrust into her until I came again, releasing myself into her again. "Happy birthday, Ahsoka," I gasped before falling beside her again.


	14. Chapter 14

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I woke up later on in the day to have Anakin's arms wrapped around me. I was pressed against his chest with one of my legs between his. I kissed his chest, smiling at its warmth.

He stirred a bit. "Snips?"

"Who else were you expecting to be in bed with you?" I giggled.

"You're funny," he whispered, rubbing my arm. He moved his hand beneath the covers to run his fingers along my side and across my leg. "How do you feel?"

There was a bit of pain in my lower area, but I was extremely happy. He sighed. "I'm sorry for the pain."

"I'm happier, Anakin. I love you and you love me. _This _is special. _We're _special. I wouldn't want to have anyone else make love to me the way you do. You do everything so right and you listen to what I say to you."

He smiled. "I enjoy making love to you and I want you to enjoy it as well. No one ever said you couldn't be pleased while lying there. I'm doing my best to keep you involved because I don't want this to feel like I'm raping you."

"I _do _enjoy it. Why would I think of this like _that?_"

He shrugged, moving his hand to trail down my lek. "You're _sixteen _and I'm _twenty-one._"

"So…?"

"What we're doing could be considered illegal. You're a minor and I'm a…"

"You are _not _that."

"To you, I'm not, but to another person, I _am._ I could get into serious trouble for everything we've done. What if you get upset with me someday and tell someone that we had sex? You could subtly hint that I raped you."

I stared at him in horror. "I can't do that to you. Anakin, I wanted you and I don't regret anything. You're _mine _and that's that. I will _never _tell anyone even if such a time comes about when we're allowed to love."

He smiled weakly before kissing me. "That's good to hear."

He pushed himself into a sitting position, lifting me with him. I shivered a bit as the blanket fell away from me, exposing my back.

His warm flesh hand rubbed my back before his lips were pressed against mine. Once we separated, he smiled. "So what do you want to do now, birthday girl?"

"Well, first, we should probably throw our bed sheets down the laundry chute so they get cleaned."

He chuckled, nodding. "You get dressed and I'll do that."

He shifted me off of him and got up, pulling his pants back on. He walked over to my bed and sighed when he inspected it. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong."

I got up with the blanket wrapped around me. I walked over to him, wrapping an arm around his waist. I glanced down at the bed. There was nothing wrong with it, but I could definitely see what he was thinking about. He smiled down at the bed before glancing at me. "I won't forget that this is where we first made love, Anakin."

"Nor will I."

He slowly pried the sheets from the bed, rolling them into a ball as he tossed them down the chute. He crossed the room to do the same with his bed.

"I wonder if anyone checks what's on these," I whispered as he tossed his bedding down the chute. "They won't know it's ours, will they?"

"Everything is separated by room and _droids_ clean them."

"Oh…"

He chuckled, turning me to face him. He slowly pulled me in for another kiss, his hands moving between the folds of the blanket to reach my skin. His fingers trailed along the new scars that were forming on my hips. I felt how much that upset him, but he wasn't as mad at me now.

He reached the cuts on my waist and froze. I knew those were deeper than the rest, but he _didn't._ I felt anguish well up inside of him as he pulled away from me. "Anakin, stop –"

He turned away from me, running his hand through his hair. I pulled him back by his shoulder. "Anakin, it's okay. I know… I know it hurts you, but it's _done._ Never again, okay?"

He twisted a bit to wrap his arms around my waist. "_Never._"

He held me for a few more minutes, kissing my montrals lightly. "Get dressed, okay?"

I nodded as he pulled away from me. He walked over to his dresser and pulled on his spare shirt and armor pieces. I sighed, seeing General Skywalker instead of Anakin. I went over to my own dresser and pulled out my tiny tube top, skirt, and leggings.

I glanced back over at Anakin once I finished dressing, but he wasn't there. "Anakin?"

Strong arms swept me up into a bridal style hold. I giggled as he kissed my neck. "Where else could I possibly go, lovely?"

I circled my arms around his neck, smiling widely at him. "I'm not sure."

He chuckled. "It's getting late. Do you want to go out for dinner?"

My stomach growled in response. I quickly attempted to hide the growl, but he laughed. "I'll take that as a yes. All right, Snips, to dinner we go."

"Where are we going?"

"Anywhere. There's a nice place somewhere in the upper area of Coruscant. I'd like to stay out of the under city because it's… a bit _rough _there."

"Rough as in?"

"You remember how upset you were with me when I was dancing with that Togruta slave on Tatooine?"

I could already tell that this wasn't going to be good. I nodded, somewhat wanting him to continue. "Well, let's just say that it's about ten times worse down there. Girls get assaulted, men are drunk as hell, and… well, _lots _of crime in general happens down there. If you think I'm an ass for getting mad at you when you cut yourself, you'd be surprised by how I'd act in a place like that where _anything _could happen to you."

He put me down and walked towards the small closet to grab our robes. He swung his around himself quickly before helping me put mine on.

I put my hand on his cheek. "I don't think you're a jerk for getting mad at me. I understand why and I really appreciate that you want to take care of me."

He smiled, leaning down to kiss me briefly. "Love you," he whispered, opening his eyes slowly.

"I love you, too."

We crept out of the dorm and down a few hallways until we finally reached the outside of the temple. We hopped into his speeder and joked about who was the most annoying Jedi in the Order. I thought it was Master Windu and Anakin thought it was _me._

"All right, this is the place. What do you think?"

I glanced up at the building. Beautiful lights covered the exterior and I could see something similar leading in through the entrance. "This looks amazing."

He smiled, hopping out of the speeder. He ran over to my side and held his hand out for me. I took his hand, giggling as he helped me step over the side of the speeder.

He put his arm around my waist and we walked in together. I heard a light clattering beneath his robes, so I stopped. I pulled his robe aside to see his lightsaber. "Do you plan on fighting someone tonight?"

He shrugged. "You never know. I'm just making sure I keep you safe."

"I hope you brought mine with you."

"Would you like to check?" he said, smirking at me. "I'm kidding. Anyway, yes, I did bring it with me. I wanted to make sure we could both defend ourselves in case a fight gets started in here."

I nodded, taking his hand in mine. We walked up to a droid that was going to assign us our seat. "Table for two," Anakin said as we approached the droid. He dropped a few gold credits onto the desk and another droid showed us to our seat.

"Welcome back, Mr. Skywalker. We hope you and the Mrs. will enjoy our dishes."

"She's not my –" he sighed, shaking his head as we sat down. I sat across from him, smiling as he grew a bit flustered.

I reached my hand out across the table and he placed his in it. "Why are you so upset, Anakin?"

"Damn droid."

"You don't want me to be your Mrs.?"

"I didn't say that."

"Then –"

"Can we just drop it, please? I'd like to have a nice dinner with my girlfriend without bringing up complicated things."

"How is this –" He gave me a very serious and frightening scowl and I immediately decided that dropping the subject was probably in my best interest.

The rest of dinner was extremely _awkward._

**Later.**

Luminara was really beginning to get on my nerves. Had Anakin not come with me to this session, I might have actually _killed _Luminara. "_And how does that make you feel?_"

"Like ripping your damn head off," had been my blunt reply.

She told me to step out of the room while she and Anakin discussed the _situation._ I had a feeling that he was going to tell her that I was getting better, but then again, he might tell her what's been going on with me lately. I really hoped that I could still trust him with my secrecy…

He stepped out of the room and didn't even look at me before he started walking off. I stared at him for a moment, shocked.

I ran after him, grabbing his mechanical wrist. "Hey," I whispered, tugging him back towards me. "What did she say?"

"I don't know how much longer I can lie to her for you."

"Why?"

"She wants a droid to check you over _physically._ That means you're going to be stripped down and scanned. How are we supposed to explain the scars and cuts without telling them you're _crazy?_"

My lips quivered for a moment before he quickly regained himself. "I didn't mean that. I'm sorry. Snips, you aren't crazy. Luminara thinks that you might need to start taking medications and be watched extra carefully."

"I wouldn't mind the meds so much, but aren't you watching me extra carefully?"

"That's the thing. She says I'm not doing such a great job at it because you seem to be getting worse. She's noticing this stuff, Ahsoka. It's very serious and you need to take it that way."

"So if I start getting better, she won't reprimand you anymore?"

"I really don't give a damn if she reprimands me."

I reached up to run my fingers through his hair. I smiled warmly at him. "I don't want you to get upset because of her. I'll…"

"I can fix the droid's memory bank if you want me to."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll give you a passing physical examination and you'll have nothing to worry about. The droid won't even have to look at you."

"What if I need the examination?"

He stared at me curiously, raising an eyebrow. "Why would you _need _it?"

"Well, I just had sex for the first time last night. What if I'm pregnant?"

"Damn it!" he whispered. "I told you to think about this before we did anything. If you're so worried about it, then take the Force damned exam."

"I did think about it, but I've had more time to think now that I've actually done it. I don't know if I'm ready for a baby…"

The look on his face scared me. "I _frakking _asked you if you were ready. You turned it around and asked me if I'd stick around for it and I told you I would. If you don't think you're ready for a baby, then you aren't ready to have more sex."

"So what are you saying?"

"We're going to take a _break. _There will be absolutely no sex between us for a while."

My jaw dropped to the floor. "Are you kidding me? You can't do that!"

"I just did," he said through his teeth. "I'll be in the dorm. Feel free to join _your _bed when you're tired. My bed is _full _tonight."

And with that said, he stormed off. I stared at his back, feeling horrible. The one thing I really enjoyed had just been put on restriction because I was stupid.


	15. Chapter 15

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

It's been about a week since Ahsoka's birthday and I've kept my word as far as our relationship goes. She did seem to be getting a bit better with her problems, opening herself up a little more and relaxing in the presence of Luminara.

I didn't need to be an empath to see that she _really _didn't like talking to Luminara, but, hey, we were getting missions once again. That was such a nice distraction from all of the things going on in the temple now. Obi-Wan was recovering and he'd _also _been placed under _my _watch. So I'm now in charge of my teenage Padawan _and _my old Master.

At this moment in time, the three of us were on a transport. Ahsoka was asleep to my left and Obi-Wan sat across from me, falsely attempting to meditate. I could see through his act because he'd pulled it too many times when I was his Padawan. "How are you feeling, Anakin?"

"How do you think I'm feeling?" I snapped. "I'm exhausted and I have to _children _to keep an eye on."

"Focus on your Padawan. I can take care of myself."

"Of, the Council _knows_ that," I said, sarcasm dripping from my tongue. "They only placed you with your former Padawan because…?"

He sighed and looked away from me. I leaned forward, grabbing my supply pack. I pulled out a silver container and took a quick drink. The liquor burned my throat, but felt so much better afterwards.

"Do you really think that's wise?"

"I don't give a damn."

I closed the container and put it back into the pack. The transport rocked violently for a moment and Ahsoka snapped to attention. I put my hand on her shoulder. "We haven't landed yet. Go back to sleep."

She stared at me for a moment, displaying her exhaustion as well, before laying her head down on my lap. I stroked her lek gently, leaning my head back against the wall. We didn't stop our emotional relationship just because the physical part had been taken away.

She took the pregnancy portion of the examination a few days ago and it came up negative. I hacked the droid afterwards and filled in answers for the remainder of the exam.

"_Why are you drinking again?_" she whispered into my head. "_Is it because of me?_"

"No," I sighed. "I _needed _it. I knew I would sooner or later."

"_What about the drugs…?_"

"I detoxified myself. No more drugs for me."

"_When did you do that?_"

"A while ago, Snips."

"_So _that's _why you never shake anymore._"

"Correct."

I saw her lips twitch, forming a smile. "_I'm proud of you, Anakin._"

I stopped moving my hand. "Really?"

"_Yes._"

I thought back to the few times that someone had said those words to me. I always ended up disappointing the speaker in the end…

I glanced at Obi-Wan. He was _watching _me. "You're quite attached to her, aren't you?"

I just stared blankly at him, giving away nothing. He sighed, shaking his head. "Anakin, you know attachment is forbidden."

I couldn't help the glare. How many kriffing times would he need to say that to me? "But I can understand the bond you both share. She's damaged and you may be her only hope. If you can forgive my past actions, I'll keep this under wraps."

"There is no attachment and, even if there was, I still wouldn't forgive you."

"I can see that you've grown –"

"Do you _really _want to test my patience?"

"Anakin –"

"I don't want to talk about _this._ Ahsoka is my _apprentice._ I'm as close to her as I should be." Come on, you old bastard. You can't see through me that easily…

"I'm not a fool. We discussed your attachment to Senator Amidala. You _cannot –_"

Ahsoka immediately twisted herself around and held me against the bench that I was sitting on. "Master, don't." I couldn't look at her even though her entire body was on me.

My cold and empty stare was locked on him and I felt the need to run him through with my lightsaber. I Reached down to my waist and it was _gone._ "Snips…"

"Stop," she pleaded. "Fighting won't solve _anything._ You'd regret it later anyway. Once you're under control, I might give it back to you."

I growled lowly at her before the pilot's voice came through the intercom. "_Generals, we're approaching the landing site. We'll arrive in approximately two minutes._"

"Thank you," Obi-Wan responded.

Ahsoka sat up beside me, watching me and Obi-Wan very closely. "_You're an idiot,_" she sighed in my head.

"Shut the hell up."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "_You can't tell me what to do._"

"Oh, yeah? _I'm _the _Master_ and _you're _the _Padawan!_ You _will _do as I say!"

I felt the ship land and I jumped up, shoving the panel aside. I stepped out and sunk the heels of my boots into the Geonosian sands.

I stormed off towards our outpost, Ahsoka's presence hot on my trail. "Anakin!" she whispered through her teeth.

I spun around and she slammed herself against my chest. Her lip had been nicked by the edge of my chest piece. "Why are you acting so _cranky?_" she whispered.

I sighed and turned away, but she pulled me back. She pulled me behind a pillar that had been standing in the most random of places, but also the most convenient. "Don't do this."

"Do what?" I sighed.

"You're shutting me out again and you know how much I _hate _that."

"And you know how much I hate being called an idiot by _you._"

"When we're alone…"

I raised my left eyebrow as a small smile spread across her face. "Ahsoka –"

"Shh," she giggled. "When we're alone in the dorm, I can do this." She placed the back of her hand against my cheek, lightly roaming her soft skin and nails over it. She flipped her hand over and I leaned into her palm.

I sighed, staring into her eyes, lifting my hand to hold hers. "Love you, Snips."

"I know, Skyguy," she smiled. She pulled away and we walked into the outpost.

"Rex," I called out. My clone Captain turned around and immediately saluted us.

"General, Commander," he greeted, nodding at us. "We've just received word from General Secura. It appears as though Dooku and his droid army will be advancing shortly. General, we've been given the task of shutting down the factory between ours and General Secura's outposts. How do you plan to go about this?"

"I think –"

"Master, can I try this on my own?" she asked, her eyes pleading with me.

"Ahsoka, I… I don't know if that's the _best _thing right now…" I whispered, staring at her in concern. "Do you think you can do it alone?"

"Do you _trust _me to do it?" she asked, raising her left eye marking.

"Rex, get Commander Tano a weapons kit. Make sure it has detonators and disruptors."

"Yes, sir," he said, saluting us once more before running off to get her pack filled with the proper weapons.

"You know I trust you, Ahsoka. I'm just _worried _about you. You've never asked for a solo mission before. Are you sure you're up to it? I could go with you."

She grabbed my mechanical hand and smiled. "Thank you, Anakin, but I'm ready for this. It's time to prove myself to you."

"You don't have to _prove _anything to me. I know what you're capable of through our training sessions. You're _very _talented and skillful." I quickly kissed her cheek. "You'll do great, love. I know it."

She smiled widely and her eyes lit up beautifully. Rex came back and handed Ahsoka the fully loaded pack. I helped her get it onto her back and smiled at her. "All right, Snips, it's show time. You take care of yourself and let me know if you need me."

She nodded. "Yes, Master."

I placed a holomap in her hands. "I trust you can navigate with this to find what you're looking for?"

"Of course!" she laughed. She quickly stepped forward and hugged me tightly, which I eagerly returned the favor. "Thank you, Master. I won't let you down."

She pulled back, smiling once more before darting off in the direction of the factory. I stared off, watching her body get smaller and smaller until she was finally gone. "She's changed."

I turned around and glanced at him. "You noticed?"

"She's happy and confident. Whatever you're doing is really boosting her spirit, sir. I remember how terrified she was during the first mission."

I smiled. "You're absolutely right."

"Sir," he asked, hesitating. "May I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure," I shrugged.

"Are you and Commander Tano close?"

"Yes. She's my Padawan. I have to be somewhat close to her," I replied, walking past him to head into our small base. Aayla was on the other side of the planet, sending us information from her scouts.

"I mean _close, _sir. I know about the relationship between Commander Cody and Commander Offee. If you and Commander Tano have something, you could trust me with it."

I rubbed the back of my neck nervously, turning around to glance at his white armor. "Captain…"

"She's like a _sister _to me, General. I've seen the way she looks at you."

"Fine," I sighed, giving in. "We're _close._"

I couldn't see his face, but I had a feeling that he was smiling. I felt his joy and was actually pretty shocked by it. He knew I wasn't one to go by the book though, so maybe he expected it. "That's fantastic, sir. I trust you with her. She couldn't have fallen in love with a better man."

I smiled, nodding. "Thank you, Rex."

"If I may ask, have you and Commander Tano…?"

I chuckled before smirking. "_That _is between the Commander and me."

"General!" another clone shouted from across the way. My attention snapped to him immediately. "General Secura's outpost is under attack."

"Then let's –" I stopped when I felt Ahsoka's struggle and pain. I pulled my com to my face and connected with her. "Ahsoka! Ahsoka, come in!"

I heard her labored breathing. "_Ana… Anakin…_"

"What's going on?" I asked quickly, panicking when she cried out in pain.

"_I… I need…_" she started whimpering and gasping.

"Stay right where you are. I'm on my way. Skywalker out."

I turned off the com and bumped into a speeder bike when I turned around. "Be quick, sir. She needs you. We'll handle General Secura's problem."

"Thank you, Rex." I hopped on and quickly sped off towards Ahsoka's Force signature.

I raced through the sand and finally came near her. I found her sitting against a large pillar. I jumped off, allowing the speeder to fall where it may and ran to her. I knelt in front of her and made a quick inspection. Crimson liquid flowed from her left arm and right leg. "Get… get out of here," she whispered, staring distantly at me.

I quickly placed my gloves hands against the wounds, trying to stop the blood. "Who did this?"

I saw her eyes look past me. I pulled her to the side as I rolled out of the way. A spear would have pierced right through my chest had I stayed in my original position. She held onto me for dear life. "Give _us _the Togruta," a human man with a hood sneered. "She's _my _property."

I ignited my azure lightsaber in my mechanical hand while supporting Ahsoka's body with my other arm. "She belongs to _me_," I growled.

They backed away. I could see the slave owner insignias that they wore. "Damn Jedi! You better watch your back."

They ran off and I lowered Ahsoka to the ground. I stroked her cheek as she began to feel pain again. "You're going to be okay, sweetheart," I whispered, putting pressure on the wounds again.

She stared up at me sadly. "I failed."

"No."

"I couldn't do this myself!"

I leaned forward and kissed her slowly. I watched her eyes close at the same time that mine did. Her shaking hands wound around my neck, moving into my hair. I pulled back, licking my lips. "They had an unfair advantage over you, love. You only failed if you didn't try."

"I tried…"

"Then you didn't fail. All right, Snips, I'll get you back to Rex, and then I'll blow the factory up."

"Let me come with you."

"You're too injured."

"Anakin…" she whispered, staring at me. Her eyes were pleading.

"Ahsoka, damn it," I sighed. I grabbed the weapons pack and pulled out some gauze, beginning to wrap it around her arm. I pulled another piece out of the pack and wrapped it around her leg. She put her hands on my shoulders and I helped her up. "If I hear _one _complaint…"

"Just run slowly."

I smirked and kissed her neck. "Yes, _sir._"

"I'm a _girl!_"

"I know. Believe me." I smirked. "I also know that you hate when Rex calls you a sir."

She rolled her eyes. "I hate when you call me sir. I just want to blast you."

I took her hand and started towards the speeder. "Love you, too."

"You know I love you."

I smiled and rubbed her hand with my thumb. "I just realized that the speeder would be too loud…"

"_Idiot._"

We began our slow run in the direction of the temple. She seemed to be okay, but I could see that she was close to complaining about the pain.


	16. Chapter 16

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

My leg was _burning, _but I could say anything to Anakin. I wanted to stay with him. We'd been separated long enough while I was _attempting _to complete the mission.

Sand covered us from head to toe. His hair had been a sandy color before, but now it was _really _sandy. He turned back to look at me and dust covered his gorgeous face. "What's wrong?"

I tugged his hand, pulling him closer to me. I stroked his sandy cheek and smiled up at him. I was captivated by his beautiful ocean eyes. I could almost _drown _in them. "You're going to need a long shower when we get back to Coruscant."

"So will you," he chuckled. "I don't mind showering with you, but I'm still not going back on my word. I was absolutely serious about it."

I chuckled. "I didn't expect anything different from you. I just want to be with you all the time. I miss sleeping next to you, too…"

He sighed and caressed my cheek. "I've missed having you sleep beside me. Maybe we can try this again, but I want things to move at a slow pace. We can just _sleep _next to each other."

"Obviously," I said, rolling my eyes. "We're off limits in the shower. Why would I expect the bed to be any different? I just want you to hold me. I don't care if we do it again. I just want your arms around me so I feel safe…"

He smiled warmly. It was a real smile and that was one of the things I loved about him. "Once your face is desandified," I laughed. "I'll kiss you, Skyguy."

He smirked, tapping my chin with his gloved thumb. "I'll be waiting for that. How's your leg?"

"It…" I bit my lip. I am _not _going to fall for that. He's waiting for me to complain.

"Ahsoka?"

"It's fine. I feel great."

"You're so full of it. This is actually the part where you _can _complain. I'm asking you, so I want a truthful response. Do I need to carry you the rest of the way?"

I shook my head. "I'm all right. Well, you can carry me if you want to."

He smirked. "Is that a subtle hint at complaining, my young Padawan?"

"No! I wasn't complaining!"

He chuckled and swept me up into his arms. I giggled as he ran with me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, leaning on my arm to stare at his face. "And how do you plan on destroying the factory with me in your arms?"

"I'll just drop you," he laughed.

We stopped behind a large rock formation. "Want me to leave you here?" he whispered, staring into my eyes as he set me down onto the ground.

I shook my head. "I want to come with you. I'll stay close to you."

He gently slid the pack off of my back and put it on his own. "Are you sure? I don't want you to get hurt. It's bad enough that I'll probably get shot at. I don't want you to fall behind when I'm not paying attention…"

A large explosion came from the east. We both looked over quickly. "Aayla's outpost was under attack when I heard from you. Rex and the boys will take care of it."

I stared at him like he'd gone crazy. "You left Aayla's outpost to come get me?"

He nodded slowly, raising his left eyebrow. "Yes, I did," he whispered slowly.

"Why?"

"I found it more important to save you. If I didn't come get you, your part of the mission would take a little longer to complete and we'd be stuck here longer."

I bit my lip and looked away from him. His hands gently held either side of my face, making me look at him. "Hey, like I said, you didn't fail. You were injured and I'm going to take care of you. I decided to help you finish the mission. I'm not forbidding you from ever going out alone again, Snips. This wasn't a test that you could fail; this is something you wanted to do because you thought you could impress me. You don't need to _try_."

I smiled weakly at him as he rubbed my cheek with his thumb. "You impress me just by breathing. Come on, Snips. The sooner we blow this place up, the sooner we can go help Aayla, and the sooner we can leave."

He helped me up. "All set, Ahsoka?"

I nodded and he smiled, taking my hand to carefully lead me through the rock formations. He pressed me against my back, standing in front of me. I almost thought he was going to try to kiss me, but he glanced around sneakily. "There was a patrol," he whispered, turning his head to smirk at me. "Like you said, once your face is desandified, I'll kiss you."

"Stop reading my thoughts…" I mumbled.

"Now you know how I felt," he chuckled. "All right, it's clear."

He took the lead again and we finally entered the factory. I could hear the machines working. "What kind of factory is this?"

He moved towards the edge of a stairway, peering over it. "From the looks of it, this is a droid factory. They've always got something going on here."

"This is where the war began."

He glanced back at me and I could see a little bit of pain in his eyes. _Senator Amidala._ "Anakin, I'm –"

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

"I didn't mean to bring that up…"

He smiled weakly, lifting his hand to rub my cheek. "I know. It doesn't bother me as much as it used to, Ahsoka. If she hadn't died, who knows what might have happened? You and I might not have fallen in love."

I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head against his chest. His hands rested on my rear lek. I smiled as his chest moved when he chuckled. "All right, love. We've got a factory to set off."

We slowly separated, but my hands lingered on his waist. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Snips."

He swung the pack around to his front and opened it. He pulled out a few detonators and smirked into the pack. "Rex sure did load this thing up."

I giggled and we slowly crept through the factory, placing detonators in certain spots according to the holomap that Anakin was holding in his palm. We set the timers to ten minutes, which gave us plenty of time. Once we had detonators set on all of the beams that were specified, he put the holomap back in the pack and grabbed my hand.

"Let's get out of here before someone realizes we're in here."

"Too late," I whispered, looking past him. He spun quickly to see a patrol of battle droids.

"Jedi!" one of them screeched.

Instantly, a barrage of blaster bolts flew in our direction. Anakin snapped his lightsaber out, defending both of us. My arm hurt too much to actually be able to do anything, so I stood behind him. I backed up when he did.

He spun around again and grabbed me quickly with his flesh hand, deflecting blasts with his saber that was now held in his mechanical hand.

I made it through the entrance when I felt his hand fall away from mine. I heard a metallic clattering sound against the floor and turned. His lightsaber was on the ground and he was holding his left side with his mechanical hand. I pulled his lightsaber into my hands and attached it to my belt, running back to him.

"Anakin, come on."

He nodded painfully and we resumed our run.

Once we were clear of anymore shots, we stopped. I collapsed into a sitting position on the ground and he knelt down beside me. "You okay?" he whispered, breathing heavily.

I nodded, staring at his arm. I scooted forward and pulled his arm towards me gently. "How about you?"

"It's nothing."

I turned his body to see the cloth torn away and his skin looked pretty bad. It must have gotten sand and dust in it. "Anakin…"

"There's no time for this," he muttered. "I'll fix it later."

"You can't just fix it like repairing a droid, Anakin. This is your _flesh._ It needs to be taken care of right now."

"We don't have anything_ for_ it _right now._"

I grabbed his wrist with my hand on my good arm and pressed the button on his comlink, hoping to connect with Rex. "_General?_"

"This is Commander Tano," I said into it. I told him of the condition we were both in and gave him the proper coordinates.

"_I'll send a transport with a medical trooper your way. When are the detonators set to go off?_"

"In about five minutes," Anakin responded. "But it won't hurt us. We're far enough away from it. The debris might land a short distance behind us, shooting into the air, so make sure the transport's pilot knows that."

"_Yes, sir._"

"Thank you, Rex," I said.

"_Anytime, kid._"

I smiled and disconnected the link. I helped Anakin lean against a rock formation and I leaned against his chest. I rubbed his side gently. "I'm fine, Ahsoka. I'm more concerned with your injuries than my own."

I stared up at his face. His smile was forced and his eyes held so much pain. "Anakin."

"What?"

"I know you're in a lot of pain. Why don't you just admit it?"

"I'm not in – ow! Ahsoka, stop, please."

"See?" I smirked.

"It's because you pressed down on it. I'm fine otherwise. Just stop touching it, all right?"

I closed my eyes and he held the hand that was pressed against his chest. His left arm lifted and wrapped around my back, his hand resting on my waist.

"I love you, Ahsoka," he whispered. "I never intend to say mean things to you."

I smiled, keeping my eyes closed. "I know that. You were right to get upset though. With the pressure I put on your side, it probably did hurt…"

"It hurt like _hell._"

I heard an engine's roar coming closer to us. I sat up a little, opening my eyes. Blood was running down his vest. "That's going to be so much worse when they start cleaning it…"

"I know," he whispered.

We separated from each other and I helped him up, wrapping an arm around his waist to hold the other side tightly.

Dust swirled around the landing spot until it finally stopped. The panel slid open and Rex stepped out with a few other clones. "How badly are you both injured?" he asked, concerned.

"Ahsoka's got it worse," Anakin shrugged.

An explosion erupted a distance behind us. Anakin smiled down at me. "We did a good job, Snips."

A medic came over and took Anakin from me, leaving me alone with Rex. "He's a good man, Ahsoka."

I smiled at Anakin's back and nodded slowly. "That he is."

Rex nudged my arm. "I told him that I noticed the way you look at him."

"There's nothing going on between us," I said defensively.

"He already told me everything."

I swallowed slowly, nodding. "Please don't get us in trouble. I don't care if you tell the Council that I have feelings for him, but he really wants to be a Master. I can't take that away from him…"

"Hey, hey, hey," he laughed. "I knew about Barriss and Cody a while ago. They're still together and she's still part of the Order. You're like a little sister to me, Ahsoka. General Skywalker is almost like a brother to me, especially if things between you two –"

"All right, all right," I giggled. "I don't think Anakin will ever want to marry me."

"Oh?"

I nodded. "I'm pretty sure of that actually. He was really flustered during dinner on my birthday. The droid welcomed us and called me his wife."

"Maybe he was just trying to keep the atmosphere between you two very light. He's not the type to force things, so maybe he didn't want you to think that he'd force you into a marriage or something."

I shrugged. "I don't know. Rex, between you and me, I actually want to marry him someday."

"I'm sure he'll ask you someday. I just hope I'm still around to attend the ceremony. I wouldn't miss it for anything in the galaxy."

I smiled and hugged him quickly. "Thanks, Rex. I'll make sure I keep you around."

"All right, you," he chuckled. "Get on the transport. We're taking you both back to the cruiser for medical attention."


	17. Chapter 17

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I forced myself not to scream through the whole process of the medical droids cleaning out the wound on my side. My nerves were going through hell. Ahsoka had been right about it needing to be taken care of soon.

Once it was cleaned out, a piece of bacta was secured against it.

I decided to sneak out of my medical room and wander down to Ahsoka's. I heard her screaming from several hallways down.

I ran as quickly as I could, bursting through the door. I ran to her side and grabbed her shaking hand. Damn Geonosis…

I could see that her wounds had been similar to my own. She had to go through a cleaning process as well. I held her hand tighter. "Hey, I'm here," I whispered.

"Anakin –"

She cried out a little as the gauze around her leg was unwrapped. "It's okay, Ahsoka. The droids are just trying to help you. If you need to take the pain out on someone, I'm here, okay?"

"I can't do – agh!" her back arched a bit and her fingers tightened around mine.

"You would think you were having a baby," I muttered.

"That's – not funny!" she shouted, staring at me.

**One hour later.**

Ahsoka was asleep in my personal quarters. I held her against my chest, stroking her right lek. Her arm and leg had a few pieces of bacta lining them.

She's been asleep for almost twenty minutes.

She moaned and moved a little. She looked over her shoulder. "Anakin?"

I sat up a bit. "Hey, love," I whispered. I kissed her shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired…"

"Well, we already took a shower, so we're both set to go to bed if you want. Actually, I need to go speak to Rex. I need to figure out how everything went with Aayla's outpost."

She nodded and curled up into the pillows. "I'll be here when you get back. Just make sure you come back soon. It's cold when you leave me…"

I kissed her right lek. "I'll be back soon, sweetheart. Try not to move very much, all right? I don't want to come back to hear you screaming. That'll make me feel bad for leaving."

"I feel fine," she laughed. "The bacta is working for me. Go talk to Rexie."

"Rexie?"

"Get out of here," she whispered, smiling.

I chuckled and got off of the bed. I stretched for a moment before walking out of the room.

I strolled down the corridors until I reached the bridge. "General on the bridge!" a clone said, announcing my arrival.

"At ease, men. Where's Captain Rex?"

"He's in the training room, sir."

I nodded. "Back to work then."

I turned on my heel and made my way for the training room.

I entered the corridor to hear blaster bolts collide with the durasteel walls. "Blast!" he yelled, growing frustrated with himself. Maybe he was stressed out again and couldn't make a direct hit.

"What's wrong, Captain?"

He jumped and spun around to salute me in one swift motion. "General, I didn't hear you come in. I apologize for my outburst. It was uncalled for."

I shook my head, waving my hands. "Hey, we're all human. Well, with the exception of Ahsoka…" I trailed off. "Anyway, you can talk to me, Rex. I'm just Anakin right now. What's on your mind?"

"Nothing, sir."

I sighed heavily. "If you say so. I'm not one to prod if you aren't going to talk. I actually came in to ask how everything went at Aayla's outpost. Was everything successful?"

"Yes, sir. We only lost twenty of the ninety men. General Secura was unharmed as well."

I nodded, clapping his shoulder. "Good work… _Rexie._"

I chuckled, watching his face, before turning to leave. "Sir?"

"Yep?" I called back over my shoulder.

"Did Ahsoka tell you that she calls me that?"

"Yeah, but I'm not going to use that nickname against you. She's cute and she likes you. She's my Snips, so I'm obviously not against nicknames."

"You're her… what was it? Skyguy?"

I chuckled, nodding. "Yep, I'm her Skyguy."

"I'm assuming she wants you back in your quarters, General?"

I raised my eyebrow. "Possibly." I paused. "How did you know she was in there?"

He raised his hands, stepping back a bit. "I didn't mean to intrude in your personal life, sir. I just had a feeling that she would be in there with you. You both suffered some heavy injuries. I assumed that she'd want you to be with her."

I smirked. "Damn, you're good."

"I know the kid a little better. When something happens, she clings to you. You're her support and I really appreciate that you're there for her. She's not even that open with me."

"I love her," I smiled.

"Have you told her that lately?"

"Of course. I told her over and over while we were in the medbay and I kept telling her when we were in my quarters."

He laughed and smiled. "I know you'll take good care of her, sir."

I nodded. "She might be damaged, but she's mine and I plan to fix her."

He gave me an awkward look. I rolled my eyes. "I didn't mean it _that _way. I mean her depression, Rex. I don't want her to be depressed."

"What about yourself?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've been in your quarters a few times in the last few months, sir. I saw the… drugs and the bottles. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," I whispered. "I'm done with the drugs. I've _never _shared any of it with her, so don't –"

"I know, I know," he chuckled. "I assume you thought it might be bad enough that you're going through this. You don't want to drag her into that as well?"

"Rex, are you sure you're just a clone?"

He nodded. "Yes, sir."

I smirked, smacking his shoulder. "All right, I'd better get back to her. I'll catch ya later, Rexie ol' boy."

I turned and walked out of the training room.

Once I arrived in my quarters, I crossed the room and knelt down in front of Ahsoka. I smiled at her though she was sleeping. Her lips were parted and her hands were on the mattress where my hands should be.

I leaned forward and kissed her cheek lightly. She stirred, but didn't wake up. "Love you, Snips."

I got up and walked around to the other side of the bed. I crawled in beside her and gently placed my arm over her, pressing my body against her back. I kissed her rear lek and closed my eyes.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Ahsoka began to moan and mumble. I lifted my head to look over her shoulder. "Anakin…"

I was surprised by that one. I didn't think she would be dreaming about me. "Anakin… don't… please… stop!" I grew concerned and sat up a little more. Within moments, she began to thrash around the bed.

"Ahsoka!" I whispered. "Hey, wake up!"

I grabbed her arms as gently as I could while trying to wake her up. She suddenly bolted into a sitting position, sweat drenching her body. She glanced at me for a split second before throwing herself against me. "Anakin…"

I wrapped my arms around her. "It's okay, Ahsoka."

"You… you tried to kill yourself…"

I glanced down at her as she looked up. I kissed her slowly and passionately, rubbing her back with my thumb. "I'm right here and you're all the reason in the galaxy for me to _not _kill myself."

She lay back onto the pillows, pulling me with her. "I'm right here with you and I plan to keep it like that," I whispered.

I wrapped my arms around her and she pressed her hands against my chest. "Don't leave me, Anakin. Please, don't leave me…"

I kissed her again. "I won't."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

The ship shook a bit. "Kriffing Separatists are going to make me break my promise," I sighed. She smiled at me, stroking the side of my face.

"Just don't die and you'll keep your promise. Come on, Skyguy, we've got to get up there."

We hopped up and ran to the bridge. "General, we've engaged Grievous."

"Were we given any heads-up that he was going to attack? Where did he come from?"

"He jumped out of hyperspace right in front of us. He must have been given _our _location. General, what should we do?"

"What we always do, Lieutenant, get the turrets up and running. Take out their primary defenses and don't let them jump into hyperspace again." I turned the intercom on. "Shadow Squadron, prepare for immediate battle. Everyone get to your stations and fighters _now._"

I glanced down at Ahsoka, standing there waiting for me to give her orders. "Want to fly with me, Snips?"

"You're not going to make me stay on the bridge?"

"Do you want to?"

She shook her head and I smiled. "Then come on. You're with me."

We ran off of the bridge and down to the hangar. "Hop into your fighter and _stay close _to me, all right? I don't want you getting blasted out of the sky again."

"I'll be careful," she whispered nervously.

I spun around and put my hand on her shoulder. "You'll do just fine. No distractions this time. There aren't any hostages, love. It's just us versus Grievous."

"What if something happens to you?"

"You're looking at the best pilot in the Republic, baby," I chuckled. I rubbed her cheek with my thumb as she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

She turned to head towards her star fighter. I smacked her ass. "Get a move on, Snips. We've got a droid to disassemble."

She giggled before running off to the fighter. I watched her climb the ladder before running to my own. I mimicked her actions and hopped into the cockpit. I quickly adjusted the controls. Artoo wouldn't be flying with me today.

I connected my com system with Ahsoka's waiting for her to connect with me. I saw the light flash green. "How ya doing over there?"

"_Missing you. Is this a private conversation?_"

"Just us, lovely. I have a separate channel for the squad. I just want you to be able to focus this time around, all right?"

"_You're too protective of me._"

"Only because I love you. Do you want me to stop protecting you?"

"_I didn't say that. I love you for many reasons, Anakin. The protection you give me is only one of them._"

I smiled, glancing through the canopy to peer over at her blood red fighter. "What's the main reason you love me?"

"_Your personality. You know how to make me laugh, to make me smile. Everything you do is a miracle. I never thought I'd be so happy in my life. To be honest, I was heading down the wrong path when I was called into the chambers that day. _You _saved me._"

I laughed lightly, smiling widely. "I'm so glad to have met you. I'm glad I was high and drunk. If I hadn't changed, I wouldn't have accidentally asked Obi-Wan for a Padawan. If I hadn't done that, I wouldn't have met you. Ahsoka, regardless of whatever happens to us, I love you. My life couldn't be any better without you in it."

I saw her smile across the hangar. "_I love you._ _Come on, Skyguy, let's get a move on._"

I chuckled. "Yes, ma'am."

"_Finally!_"

We both lifted from the hangar floor and flew through the hangar doors into the space around the _Resolute._ "Stay with me, Snips."

"_I know, I know. I'm coming._"

She flew up beside me and smiled through the canopy. "_Hey, love._"

"Hey, beautiful." I glanced away from her for a moment to see vulture droids coming at us. "Okay, let's… how do you and the clones say it? _Scrap 'em?_"

She laughed so hard in her fighter. "_I never thought I'd hear you say that, but that's right. Scrap 'em, Anakin!_"

I smiled as we flew through the abyss of stars and mass of vulture droids. She seemed so happy to finally get some action. I just hoped this mission would turn out better than our last one…


	18. Chapter 18

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I got lost in the midst of droids flying through space. I couldn't find Anakin's golden starfighter anywhere. "_I lost you. Where are you?_" he shouted over the intercom.

"Anakin, I'm on the starboard end of Grievous' flagship. I've got four vulture droids trailing behind me and I can't shake them. My turrets aren't working properly. I can't fire on anything."

"_Hang on. I'm coming._"

I could hear his grunts over the com. He was under attack as well. "_Damn droids_," he muttered. I heard him grunt as he spun his ship around. I could tell what he was doing by his sounds sometimes. When you learn from the best pilot in the Republic, you're bound to pick up on some things he does.

He laughed. "_Yes!_"

"I'm assuming you got them?" I smirked, spinning my ship wildly. That was another trick I'd picked up from him. He spun as crazily as he could in an attempt to get the droids to blast themselves.

"_Yeah, I'm coming for you now. Are you near the – wait. I see you._"

I glanced through the canopy to see his fighter swing around to come towards me. One of the droids shot my engines. I cried out as the fighter shook and the wing began to catch fire. "_Stang!_" he shouted. "_Snips, get back to the Resolute now!_"

Within seconds of him giving me that command, he began to fire a barrage of bolts past my fighter. I was surprised that he hadn't hit me. He didn't seem to have any plan to go by, so he was randomly firing. My internal controls were beeping and flashing at me. "Anakin…"

"_What?_" he snapped. I could tell that he was frustrated because I hadn't been able to defend myself. This fighter was still a little damaged I guess.

"I think my fighter is going to – I just lost all controls."

"_Are you kriffing kidding me?_"

I bit my lip. "No."

"_Force damn it! Why can't I do anything right? Your ship is failing and I can't protect you. What the hell?_"

I heard his fist slam on his controls and I cringed. "Anakin, please, stop…"

My fighter began to spin out of control. I closed my eyes, holding my breath. "_Ahsoka!_" I heard him connect with another channel while we were still connected. "_Bridge, get a lock on Commander Tano. Her fighter is failing and she's spinning out of control. Lock her in a tractor beam and pull her in now!_"

"_Yes, sir. Right away!_"

He closed that channel and began to whisper to me. "_It's going to be okay, Ahsoka. Just breathe slowly and try not to feel sick._"

The fighter shook as the tractor beam hit it. "_All right, you're good…_"

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you okay?"

"_Me? Shouldn't you be concerned with yourself?_"

"I'm not the one who had to watch my fighter spin."

"_You're the one inside of it. It's my kriffing fault! I didn't adjust the parts the right way. I didn't attach the wings to the body properly once I took it apart. The control stick was frakked up, rendering your flight abilities almost useless. I knew all of this and I kriffing made you get into the cockpit!_"

"Hey, hey, hey," I said quickly. "Don't do this to yourself. It's not your fault. We can work on it together when we get back on the _Resolute._"

"_It's not my fault? Are you insane? I just told you that I knew all of this was wrong with your fighter!_"

I was finally inside of the ship and I was able to land on the hangar floor. Well, I skidded across it until I came to a stop. Anakin's golden fighter landed beside mine and he quickly ejected himself from it.

I held my head in my hand, trying to stop myself from crying. I hated it when he blamed himself for something stupid. His temper brought out the worst side of him.

He pried the canopy open and I heard him gasp a little. "Ahsoka?"

I forced myself to pull myself together and climbed out of the cockpit. I walked down the wing with him on my tail. "Hey, are you all right?"

I spun around and glared at him, not caring that tears were streaming down my cheeks. "No, I'm not all right."

He stepped forward and caressed my cheek. "I'm so sorry. I could have gotten you killed. I understand that you're probably traumatized from all that –"

"I'm not traumatized! I'm hurt because of you! You're angry with yourself and you know how much I hate it when you yell!"

He bit his lip and looked away from me for a moment, immediately snapping his eyes back to mine. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to yell even if it was just at myself. I'll try to calm myself down from now on, okay? I'm sorry, Ahsoka."

I crashed against his chest, my arms folded up in front of me, hands on his chest. His arms wound around my waist. His hands were on my back, rubbing my skin slowly. "I don't know what else to say. I keep telling you how sorry I am and I feel repetitive."

"I love you," I whispered, closing my eyes.

His chest rose and fell quickly with a light laugh. "I'm glad you still love me after all of that. I love you, too, sweetheart."

We separated and I stared up into his eyes. "I'm sorry for snapping on you, Anakin. It's just really upsetting how easily you can blame yourself. I understand that you didn't finish fixing the fighter. We have time to do that now. I don't mind sitting out here passing you tools."

He smiled weakly. "I've been so stressed out lately especially since I stopped the drugs. I never got around to finishing it. I'm so –"

"Don't, please…"

He nodded slowly. "All right, I'll insult myself mentally." He closed his eyes, tilting his head back a little.

I smacked his stomach. "Don't do that either. Come on, Skyguy, let's fix this piece of junk up."

He opened his eyes and smiled. "Do you want to watch me fix it?"

"As long as I get to stay with you, I'll go anywhere."

He laughed lightly, taking my hand.

He quickly gathered up all of the tools and such, grabbing two sliding pads for us, before coming back to me. We slid under the fighter and I watched him rewire a bunch of things.

"Why did you do that?" I asked when he crossed two wires.

"This will fix the problem with your turrets."

"Huh, I didn't know you could do that."

He twisted a little to smile at me. "Now you do. Hey, can you give me that?"

"This?" I asked, holding up one of the tools. I had no idea what it was called.

"Yep. Thanks, Snips."

I watched his face as he fixed the fighter. He looked determined to get everything right. "Anakin?"

"Mm?"

"You're going to hate me right now, but…"

He stopped his repairs to turn towards me. He looked confused, raising his eyebrow. "When can we have sex again?"

He dropped the tool and accidently slammed his head on the underside of the fighter. "Ow," he muttered, rubbing his head. He glanced at me nervously. "I don't know. I still don't think it'll be the right time for a while."

I sighed and picked up the tool, handing it to him. "Just finish repairing this."

He took it, holding my hand for brief moment. "I'll think about it. I just don't want to hurt you or force you into a situation that you don't want to be in."

I closed my eyes. "I know I panicked before, but I think I'm ready again. I've thought about it a little and I don't care about the consequences."

"The consequences are a _lot _of _responsibility._"

I opened my eyes to see him staring back at me. "_A lot_," he repeated.

I turned onto my side and put my hand on his cheek. "We can handle it. We can handle everything together."

"I think I can handle it, Snips, but you're still a kid."

"I'm a _kid?_ Is that what you think I am?"

"No. I don't think you act like one, but what I'm saying is that you're too young to be dealing with another life. I don't think you're ready to become a mother should we decide to have unprotected sex again."

"Then let's try it protected."

"It could _still _happen regardless. You do know that condoms can break, right?"

I stared at him in shock. I hadn't known that. I shook my head. He rolled over to get on top of me. I loved to stare into his eyes. "I love you. I really do, but I just don't think getting pregnant at sixteen is something you want."

"It isn't something I want."

He leaned down to kiss me slowly. I wrapped my arms around his neck, closing my eyes. Our lips and bodies moved until his comlink began to beep. Even then, he continued moving. I gently pushed him off of me. "Hey, that might be important."

He groaned and slowly opened his eyes, hitting the button. "Skywalker," he said, sounding a bit angry.

"_Sir, I think you'd better get up here._"

"On my way now."

He got off of me and we rolled out from under the fighter. He received a few questionable glances as we ran through the hangar.

We ran through a few corridors and entered the bridge. The door hissed, announcing our arrival. "What's going on?" he immediately asked.

The clone that had called us up here turned around. "Grievous jumped away just as we were pulling Commander Tano into the cruiser. It appears as though he has General Kenobi."

"What?" Anakin and I both asked simultaneously.

The clone glanced nervously between us. One, Anakin was fuming. I knew he would because he was supposed to be watching him. I was just upset that he had been taken without our knowledge. Regardless of what's happened in the past, I still considered him to be my companion.

"He never made it to Aayla's outpost, nor did he get off of the transport you three arrived on. You're lucky that you weren't captured in the process."

"What did you just say?"

"He never made it to Aayla's outpost –"

"Since when do you call a General by her first name?"

I glanced up at him, raising my eye markings.

Within seconds, I was pulled back and a strong arm was wrapped around my neck. A blaster was pointed at my head. Anakin's saber was held out towards me.

"Let her go," he growled.

"Everyone off of the bridge now," the clone behind me commanded. No one moved at his request. A lot of clones stood there, staring at him like he'd gone mad or staring at me out of fear.

"Do as he says," Anakin sighed, giving in. His eyes never left mine.

Everyone began to clear out. Anakin stayed right where he was, ready to fight regardless of what happened.

Once the three of us were left alone, Anakin stepped forward. "Don't move, Jedi. One false move could send her into a hell of a lot of pain and misery."

"What do you want?"

"Your willingness to be my prisoner."

"If I go with you, will you release her?"

"Master, don't!" I pleaded. The arm tightened around my neck.

"It's in your best interest not to talk, little girl."

I saw anger flash in Anakin's eyes. I felt it building up inside of him.

The clone's fingers lightly roamed over my skin, sending chills up my spine. "Bastard, don't touch her," Anakin growled. "I'll go with you willingly. Let her go."

"You think we aren't aware of your attachment to your Padawan? My Lord has plans for you both." His fingers slipped into my tube top.

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to think quickly like Anakin did at times. I grabbed the elbow of the arm around my neck and pushed it up. I managed to stun him because he hadn't thought I would be strong enough to move out of his grip. I ducked away from his arm and crashed onto the durasteel floor.

I heard Anakin's saber ignite and then I heard a deathly gasp, along with the collapse of a body behind me. I felt sick and closed my eyes.

Anakin knelt down beside me, dropping the hilt of his saber. He wrapped his arms around me tightly, kissing the side of my montrals. "I'm really going to start watching this crew, Snips. I'm sorry that you had to go through that again…"

I buried my face into his chest. "Take me back to our quarters, Anakin. I just want to be with you…"

He whispered an affirmative and slowly lifted me into his arms. "I'm going to take better care of you from this point forward. I promise."


	19. Chapter 19

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I shifted my dining utensils through the mess of food on my tray. How could someone even call _this _food? I threw the utensil down and pushed the tray away, groaning in disgust.

"Sir?" Rex asked, sitting down across from me. "Are you all right?"

"Not really," I sighed. I glanced up at him. He was looking at me like I'd gone mad. "She's still rattled from earlier. I don't know what to say to her. She wants me to hold her, but then she starts crying and screaming…"

"May I speak freely, sir?"

I nodded silently. "I think she needs you the most. She needs to know that you're there for her when she's breaking. So far, you've been able to take really good care of her and I know she appreciates you for that. I know she's tired of being violated by people…"

"Has she told you about all of _that?_"

"She hasn't said very much of anything to me about that. It's not hard to see that she doesn't like being touched by anyone but you."

I gave him a questioning look. "A few weeks ago, I heard that some younglings mistreated her. She couldn't come near me without flinching. I tried to touch her shoulder and tell her that she could talk to me, but she looked so frightened…" he trailed off. "I've never seen her so afraid of me. Luckily, I think she's gotten used to being around me. I know for sure that she's not afraid of you touching her."

"She knows I won't take advantage of her. I think she's going to have a harder time being around you and the clones now because she was almost killed by one earlier…"

"My men are getting to the bottom of this. We're attempting to trace all channels that he might have connected to another channel from."

"And what about General Kenobi?"

"We're trying to get our clone intelligence out there and searching, sir…"

I sighed and stood up. "Thanks, Rex. I'm going to go check on Ahsoka again."

"It's the middle of the night, sir. I think you should get some sleep."

"How am I supposed to sleep when people are threatening my…" I trailed off. What was I even supposed to call her? I'd been saying _my Padawan_, but Rex knew.

"I understand. Have a good night, sir," he whispered, nodding. I watched him lower his head to drink from the bowl of soup in front of him before walking away.

I walked through the corridors of the _Resolute _until I reached my quarters. Even then I wasn't sure if I wanted to go in there. It was hard enough watching Ahsoka try to keep our bodies apart, but I didn't think I could handle watching her cry anymore…

I pressed my ear up against the wall in an attempt to hear what was going on in the room. "I'm so stupid," she muttered. "He hates me…"

I heard her groan. "I don't even know what to say to him. All I've been doing is pushing him away. _When can we have sex again?_ That was such a stupid question!"

She must have hit the mattress. My heart sank when I heard her words. She thought _I _hated _her._

I closed my eyes and knocked on the door. "Yes?"

"Can… can I come in?"

I heard her light footsteps run across the room until the door slid open. "Anakin, I'm so –"

"Hey," I interrupted. "I want you to listen to me first."

She bit her lip and nodded. "First of all, you are _not _stupid. You're far from stupid. Second of all, I do _not _hate you. I don't know what gave you that impression. You know I love you. And finally, you have _not _been pushing me away. I'm concerned for you, but I just don't know what to do to make things better. I'm afraid of hurting you while I'm trying to comfort you."

"Anakin…"

"I'm not done yet," I said, pressing my thumb against her lips. "You're a very smart and beautiful young lady, Ahsoka. The only thing I don't like about you is how nice you are to me when I'm undeserving of it. Everything about you is wonderful and I wish I could keep you happy."

She moved my hand. "You do keep me happy."

I pulled her back into the room and laughed. "I'm still not done," I laughed.

I pressed her onto the bed, staring down at her. "You aren't always happy, Ahsoka. If you were, you wouldn't be crying and screaming every time I tried to cuddle up with you."

She lay there, staring at me. I chuckled. "You can talk _now_, Ahsoka."

She rolled her eyes and sat up. She grabbed my hands and held them tightly in hers. "I'm sorry that you heard what I was saying. I didn't even sense you out there. I feel like I've been a terrible person lately and I'm pushing everything onto you…" she trailed off. "You _do _make me happy. I'm sorry for the way I've been acting. That's not fair to you."

I waited until I thought she was done. She took an extended pause, so I leaned down and kissed her slowly. I pulled back, keeping my eyes closed. "Life isn't fair, Snips. I'm just trying my best to keep you happy and _alive._"

She stroked the sides of my face. "You're doing more than your best. If you weren't, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

I opened my eyes and stared into hers. "That's something I hate talking about. I don't want to think about what might be happening right now if you weren't here."

I crawled over her and lay down beside her. I threw my arm over her midsection and smiled at her. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd probably still be doing drugs."

"Probably…" I sighed. "I'd never be as happy as I am now."

She rolled over and pressed herself against me, nuzzling her face into the crook of my neck. "See?" she whispered, giggling. "I'm not screaming or crying."

I closed my eyes and laughed. "_Yet._"

She smacked my arm. "That's not funny."

I shrugged. "It was to _me._"

"Go to sleep," she muttered. She got as close to me as she could before relaxing. I rubbed her hip gently. "Anakin, that still kind of hurts…"

I stopped and moved my hand up to her stomach, just letting it rest there. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

I kissed the tip of her montral, feeling a bit confused. "Why are you apologizing?"

She sighed and pulled away from me. I opened my eyes and watched her sit up. She threw her legs over the side of the bed and held her face in her hand. I lurched forward and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

"I feel like I'm always telling you what to do."

I leaned forward to stare into her eyes. "Don't feel like that. I'm not here to hurt you, so if I do something you don't like, you're supposed to tell me."

"I don't deserve you."

"That's such a load," I snapped. "If one of us doesn't deserve the other, I'm certainly the bastard that doesn't deserve _you._ You deserve so much better than me."

She twisted quickly and leapt into my arms. "I don't want anyone else but you."

I held her tightly against myself. "The same goes for me. You're all I want."

She smiled and started to cry. She tried to hide that from me, but I grabbed her hand. "Hey, why are you crying now?"

She pushed herself off of me and the bed for a moment before shifting herself onto my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck. "You're amazing. You've been through a lot and a lot has happened to you, but you still have a loving heart. I have absolutely no reason to be afraid of you for _anything._ The first few days that we were together, I thought you were going to take advantage of me because you're older than me, but I see now how wrong I was."

She leaned down to kiss me. I let her lead the kiss to allow her to make her point. "Your heart is one of the most pure and kind hearts. I expected humans to be selfish, but… you're different. That's why I fell in love with you. You wanted to make _me _happy instead of _yourself._ I'm not saying that I'm always going to love that. I want you to be happy, too, but –"

"Okay, here's the thing," I interrupted. "I'm happy to please you. When I was taking the drugs, I didn't really feel all that happy because I was… _you know_, but without them, I can feel real happiness. You're the cause of it. If you're happy, I'm happy."

She ran her fingers through my hair slowly, staring into my eyes.

There was a knock on the door. "Sirs," Rex's voice came through. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but…"

I held Ahsoka's legs around my waist and carried her to the door, allowing it to slide open. "What's up, Rex?"

He seemed a little shocked by how close Ahsoka and I were at the moment, but he should have known that we'd be in here like this. "Sir, one of the boys thinks he's found something. I don't mind watching Commander Tano if you –"

Ahsoka jumped out of my arms and walked out into the hallway. "Come on, Master," she said quickly. I saw the fear in her eyes and nodded.

She walked ahead a little and Rex and I shared a look. "I'm sorry, Rex."

He shrugged. "Don't be. I don't blame the kid."

Ahsoka turned around to look at me expectantly. She threw her hand out, biting her lip. She was silently pleading for me to stay with her. I glanced at Rex one last time and he nodded.

I ran up beside her and took her hand, holding it tightly. Rex came up beside me and I could feel Ahsoka's tension. "Hey," I whispered into her head. "Rex is a good man. He won't hurt you. You're like a little sister to him."

"_I'm still afraid…_"

"I know. He knows, too. Neither of us blames you for your feelings. Just relax and realize that he won't hurt you. He's going to have to deal with severe consequences if the thought ever crosses his mind, Ahsoka."

She stepped closer to me and leaned against my arm. "Sir, I believe we need to head into the medical bay."

I stopped and glanced at him curiously. "Oh?"

He nodded and waved for me to enter first. Ahsoka separated from me a little as the three of us entered the room. The clone's body was on a medical bed. "Snips, I'd understand if you wanted to wait for me outside –"

"No."

I shook my head. "All right then."

We walked over to the medic. "Sir," he said, saluting. "We've learned a few things through scanning his blood and internal tissue."

"Well, let's hear it."

"This man wasn't our normal clone. He didn't have the same deoxyribonucleic acid make up as the rest of us. This man was a clawdite."

"_What's a clawdite?_"

I glanced down at her. "It's a shape shifter."

She bit her lip, glancing down at the floor. I decided to speak out loud now. "All right, so now that we know _what _he was. Who was he working for?"

"Jango Fett originally worked with a clawdite to assassinate Senator Amidala," he began. My heart tightened at the mention of her name. "And we later discovered that Fett was working with Count Dooku. It's a possibility that this was once again his work."

"But why is he after my Padawan?" I asked, my voice sounding strained.

Ahsoka glanced up at me nervously. "_Anakin, we'll figure this out together._"

"I want to know _now_," I growled into her thoughts. "I don't want someone to take you away from me. It's bad enough that…"

"_She still means something to you, doesn't she?_"

I shook my head. "Excuse me for a moment."

I turned around and left the med bay. "Stay there," I whispered to her.

"_Don't leave me, please. I'm sorry, just please don't leave me…_"

I sighed, rubbing my temples outside of the med bay. "Fine, then come with me."

She came out after me. "What's going on?"

"I've got a thought."


	20. Chapter 20

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I followed Anakin into the room that Master Kenobi had been staying in when he was here – in the lower decks of the cruiser. "Anakin, what are you thinking?"

He stopped in the center of the room. "Shh," he whispered, holding his left hand up.

He knelt down beside the cot and ran his hand over the mattress. "Ana –"

"Shh," he snapped, turning his head a bit. His eyes were closed. I felt his thoughts drift away into nothingness.

He was _focusing _on something. I watched him remove his left glove, revealing his flesh hand. He trailed his fingers across the edge and tilted his head back.

I crossed my arms over my chest and watched him intensely. I shifted my weight onto my left foot because he was taking so long. He groaned in aggravation. "What's wrong?" I asked quickly, running over to him.

I put my hands on his back as he looked up at me. "You're going to hate this as much as I do. A bounty hunter took him to Tatooine."

"Why?"

"I don't know, Snips. I can see where he was via his Force signature. I can't get the why's or how's."

"What are we going to do?"

He stood up and began to leave the room. "Well, first of all, we're going to need to get back to Coruscant. We can't go into Jabba's palace in our Jedi guise. That's probably how Obi-Wan got caught. We're just smarter than that."

He hit the button on his comlink. "Rex, come in."

"_Yes, sir?_"

"Get us heading back to Coruscant. Meet me in the debriefing room. We're going to need to make a report to the Council."

"_On my way, sir._"

He clicked the com again and closed the connection. "Anakin?"

"Thinking," he whispered. "You're not coming along with me."

I stopped and stared at his back. My jaw nearly dropped to the corridor floor. "What do you mean I'm not coming with you? Anakin, you're my Master _and_ my boyfriend. I'm going whether you like it or not."

"It's not whether _I _like it or not. It's just a matter of _you _won't like the thought process that's going on in here." He tapped his head with his index finger as he looked at me.

"Well, then why don't you explain it to me?"

"Okay, I already explained my past on Tatooine to you. The only way we'd get into Jabba's palace is if there was a slave trade of some sort. I personally wouldn't mind seeing you in such an outfit, but that's not fair –"

"All I have to do is wear some outfit for you and we'll get in?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Snips, it's not all _that _simple. We'll have to make it appear as though I've… _hurt _you. You'd be acting like my _slave_." I could almost taste the venom on his tongue as he mentioned the word.

"I'm in."

"What?" he shouted. "Ahsoka, you can't honestly –"

"If we get Master Kenobi back, then it's worth it. What's the worst that could happen?"

He stepped towards me, towering over me like a shadow. His eyes burned intensely as he stared at me. "You don't even know what goes on in that place, Ahsoka. You're a bit naïve about the whole _slave_ thing on Tatooine. When Jabba sees a pretty girl, he usually gets his _way _with them."

"You wouldn't let him –"

"I might not have a choice."

I bit my lip as his hand rested on my shoulder. "If you for one moment thought that the sex we had was painful, you're in for a real shocker. I've seen a lot of the Twi'leks he's –"

I hadn't even realized that my breathing was affected by his words. "Hey, you know what? This mission doesn't need to involve you. You're _too_ pretty for this. I can't let Jabba hurt you."

I opened my eyes and stared up into his brilliant, blue ones. "But if the Master gets caught, his slave is going to have to rescue him regardless."

His eyes widened. "I am forbidding you –"

"Oh, come on, Skyguy. You aren't my father," I teased. "You can't tell me what to do. Don't even pull the '_I'm the Master and you're the Padawan_' line because that doesn't work in this situation."

"Ahsoka Tano," he snapped.

I rolled my eyes and walked past him. He seemed a bit baffled that I'd actually brushed him off like that, but he'd have to get used to it eventually. I walked down a few corridors until I reached the debriefing room.

When I walked in, Rex was in the center of the room with the holoprojector running. Master Windu and Master Yoda were standing on the projector as blue, static images.

Anakin walked in behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Masters," he greeted in a whisper, bowing his head slightly.

"_Skywalker_," Windu boomed, focusing on him. "_We've been told you have a report for us?_"

"Yes, Master. The mission was a success; however, we seemed to have… _misplaced _Master Kenobi. We were recently informed that he hadn't made it off of the transport down to Geonosis. Ahsoka and I were injured and were brought back to the _Resolute. _Ahsoka was attacked by a clone last night. It was a clawdite."

"_Mm…_" Master Yoda sighed, shaking his head. "_Troubling, this news is._"

"I've discovered that he's being held by a bounty hunter on Tatooine. More specifically, he's being held in Jabba's palace. With your permission, I would like to go recover him."

I nudged his ribs and he groaned. "Along with my _Padawan, _of course_._"

"_Do you have a plan or are you just going in headfirst as usual?_"

I could almost hear Anakin's teeth grinding. "I _do _have a plan, _Master._"

"_Good. What's your plan?_"

"Well, I was planning on disguising myself as a… slave owner. Ahsoka has agreed – for the good of this mission – to act as my slave. That's the only way we'll get into the palace. Once we're inside, I plan to learn whatever I can as to why Master Kenobi was taken there in the first place."

Master Yoda nodded. "_Go to Tatooine immediately, you must._"

I glanced up at Anakin to see his eyes dull a bit. "Yes, Master."

With that said, the two Masters disappeared. "I'll redirect us to Tatooine, sir."

"Thank you, Rex," he whispered.

Rex left and Anakin's stress overwhelmed me. "What's wrong?"

"I don't like this plan. Your life and innocence could be at risk."

I turned him towards me and held his hands in mine. "We're Jedi. Our lives are _always _at risk. As for my innocence, what innocence do I have? I've already slept with you."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Yes, but this is extremely –"

"Anakin," I interrupted. "You _made love _to me. I know the difference between our sex and sex with someone else."

"Oh?" he asked, cocking his eyebrow. "Are you saying you've gotten a bit more experience since –?"

"No!" I shouted, smacking his chest. "Don't you remember how I told you I'd be committed to you once we did it? I meant that. I'm yours. I can't belong to anyone else. I love you and I want only _you._"

"Okay, okay," he chuckled. "I'm sorry. I remember you saying that, that's why I asked."

His comlink began to beep. "Skywalker here."

"_Sir, we'll be arriving at Tatooine in approximately two hours._"

"All right, Rex. Thank you."

He closed the link and took my hand. "We'll fix you up when we get there. I should have enough credits to buy you the outfit, the chains, and such…"

"Chains?"

He paused to look at me. "You can still back out –"

I rolled my eyes. "You're going to enjoy every moment of this, aren't you? Is there anything I _have _to do for you while we're in the palace?"

He shrugged. "I might enjoy it. You might be asked to dance for Jabba, but other than that, you'll probably just be attached to me the entire time."

"How do slave girls dance?"

"I'll… check my holopad and see if I can bring up something from the databanks."

We were silent until we reached our quarters. He walked over to his pack and pulled out his holopad. I watched him begin shifting through things. I wondered what most of the projections were and then I was shocked to see a hologram of me pop up.

He quickly tried to shift to something else, but I grabbed the holopad. I flipped back one and saw an image of me sleeping. I glanced up at his nervous face and smiled. "Obsessed much?"

"That's just one projection, Ahsoka…"

I flipped through the rest of his stuff and saw a few more projections of me. Most of them were while I was sleeping. "If we weren't together, I'd think you were a creep."

He bounced onto his stomach on the bed, burying his face in the pillows. I found something about slaves and found an article about the dances they performed. I played the video and watched intently.

Their dances were fluent and usually with the chains. They danced in front of their Master in a very sensual way. I could pull that off. I knew Anakin would like that.

I watched about four videos before turning it off. I put the holopad back in his pack and crawled over him. "Are you okay?" I whispered.

His hair was in his face, so I gently moved it away. He was actually asleep. I smiled and brushed his hair back a bit more. I lay on the pillow and watched his face. I watched his eyelids shift every now and then and I couldn't help but wonder what he was dreaming about it. His lips parted and tempted me.

After about twenty minutes, I closed my eyes.

**One hour later.**

I opened my eyes to see Anakin staring at me with a small smile spread across his lips. "Hey," I whispered.

He stroked my left lek with his mechanical hand and smiled wider. "Hey."

"How long have you been awake?"

He shrugged. "A few minutes."

I rubbed his stomach and smirked. "You took another projection of me, didn't you?"

"No," he said quickly. "I won't do that anymore if it disturbs you. I'm sorry if it seems like I'm –"

I pressed my fingers against his lips. "I think it's cute that you're that into me. Anakin, I don't care if you keep memories of me on your holopad. I just want my clothes to be on."

He chuckled. "I promise I'll only do it when your clothes are on."

His arm draped over my side and pulled me closer. I watched his eyes close as he slowly leaned towards me. I closed my eyes as his warm lips brushed against mine. I felt his tongue on my lower lip for a fraction of a second.

"I love you," I whispered into his head.

"_I love you more._"

I slowly moved my tongue towards his lips and was shocked that he actually allowed me to enter his mouth. I felt his teeth lightly press against my tongue. "_I won't bite you._"

"I know," I laughed.

His mechanical hand moved behind my left lek and held it. I felt him rubbing it with his thumb slowly. He lifted his teeth away from my tongue and moved his own towards mine to begin their dance.

"_You taste good._"

"So do you."

I slowly slid my tongue out of his mouth so we could separate for air. I stared into his eyes and smiled at him. I was mesmerized by his smile. His eyes looked very alive right now. The deep blue coloring made me fall more in love with him.

I moved my face forward and licked his lips. He smiled and chuckled. "You're beautiful, Snips."

I nuzzled my face into the crook of his neck and kissed his skin. He rubbed my shoulder gently before kissing my lek. "I love you, Ahsoka."


	21. Chapter 21

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Anakin and I were sitting on a smaller ship. It was something that we'd had lying around the _Resolute_. He didn't want anything identifiable coming down with us.

"Anakin, how long is it until we get down there?"

"A bit excited, are we?" he asked, spinning his chair to look back at me. He shook his head, smiling. "We've got about three minutes until landing. We're going into Mos Eisley again."

"Isn't someone going to know that we're Jedi?"

"Snips, you worry too much. I've got everything except your outfit. I'm going to have my lightsaber and a blaster, so you'll be protected regardless."

"Can you actually use a blaster?"

He smirked and raised his left eyebrow. "_Yes._ I can shoot a blaster, Ahsoka. I'm not giving you one though. I'm going to keep your lightsaber with me until we _absolutely need _it."

I sighed and pulled my knees up to my chest, resting my head on them. "What's wrong?"

I shrugged, not knowing entirely what to say. I was more afraid of him losing his life than anything. Someone might be able to identify _him._ "Nothing, Master."

"_Master?_" he asked. I could hear the pain in his voice.

I lifted my head and frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I'm going to have to call you Master down there anyway."

"When we're alone I'm not your Master."

I pushed myself off of the cool floor and walked over to him. I put my hands on his shoulders, slowly rubbing them. "I know that. I'm sorry."

"Okay, we're here," he whispered. I looked out of the viewscreen to see the spaceport. People were all over the place.

He spun the chair and pulled me into his lap. "Just stay with me."

I nodded. His face drew closer to mine and I felt his lips trailing along my jaw line. I closed my eyes and moaned.

He chuckled and lifted me into his arms. "I've got some robes for us in the back. I also found some chains on this ship, so that was a bonus."

We walked into the storage area and he pulled out the robes, wrapping mine around me. He lifted the hood over my montrals and smiled weakly at me. "I'm going to have to put the chains on you so it looks convincing."

I shrugged and held my hands out towards him. He hesitantly lifted the chains from the floor and shackled my wrists. I watched as he picked up a collar from the closet. "You can still –"

"It's too late for me to change my mind now, Anakin. Just do it so we can get Master Kenobi back, okay?"

He nodded and swallowed slowly. He put the collar around my neck, locking it in place. He attached the longer chain to it and tightened it.

I pressed my hand against his stomach when his fingers hesitantly tightened around the end. "It's for the mission," I whispered, smiling up at him. "Just keep in mind that no matter what you do to me, I'll still love you."

He let go of the chain and walked into the back of the storage room to pull out some make-up things. He started rubbing darker colors over my face and montrals, trailing down my lekku. "I can fix up the rest of you when we come back to the ship. You're going to be in the robe until we get to Jabba's palace, so…"

"I don't have a problem with exposing my skin, Anakin."

"Clearly," he laughed, smirking.

Once he was through with fixing up my face and headtails, he grabbed the end of the chain and tugged on it. I gasped a little and his eyes widened. "I'm fine, Anakin."

"Is it too tight?" he asked, dropping the chain to rest his hands on the collar.

I shook my head. "No, it's not that. Just loosen up a little, okay? I know you're upset with the whole ordeal, but don't take it out on the chain because you'll hurt me."

"Okay, I'll relax a little. I'm sorry, love." His flesh fingers trailed across my cheek. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too."

He draped his robe around himself, lifting the hood.

He used the Force to lift the chain into his hand again. "I'll be gentle," he laughed. This time, I anticipated when he was going to start moving, so I walked with him.

We walked through Mos Eisley. The only thing that separated us was the chain; otherwise I'd be walking alongside him. He kept me behind him to display his dominance over me.

I could feel his tension and nervousness. "Relax," I whispered into his thoughts.

"_I just don't like this._"

"I know, but it'll work out."

"_I hope you're right._"

He led me into a shop and I saw all the fabrics that the people of Tatooine wore. He led me over to a section that would cover a small amount of my skin. "_Does any of this look all right? I want you to choose what you wear._"

I glanced through the rack. He shifted through it, watching my eyes. He wanted to make it look like he was the one picking out the outfit since this was a mute conversation to those around us. "That one," I thought to him.

He pointed at a golden bra with silver living and a small golden bikini bottom with a silver cloth coming down the center. "_This?_"

"Yep."

"_Ahsoka, are you trying to impress me or are you trying to get into character?_"

"If I said I was trying to impress you, would it be working?"

He smirked and pulled the outfit from the rack. "_It's definitely working._"

He tugged loosely on the chain and led me to the man owning the shop. "Is that everythin', mister?"

"Yes," Anakin responded, his voice sounding deeper.

The man was checking me out while acting like he was making sure Anakin had given him the correct amount of credits. "Ya here for the trade today?" he asked Anakin.

"Possibly."

"How much are ya sellin' this beauty for?"

"I didn't say I was giving _this _one away." He leaned onto the counter. "This one is my _personal _slave. The others are back on my ship."

The man winked at Anakin. "Ya made a good choice in a personal girl."

Anakin nodded. "I know." He took the outfit from the man and we left.

"Personal slave?" I laughed into his head as we walked back to the ship.

"_Drop it now._"

I rolled my eyes as we walked up the ramp.

He unlocked the shackles and collar. "Go get dressed. I'll, uh… go do something else."

"You don't want to watch?" I teased.

He seemed a bit flustered. "I'll just wait for you in the cockpit…"

He walked into the cockpit and I entered the storage room. I wondered what was up with him. I stripped out of my Jedi garments and attempted to figure out how to dress myself in my new outfit.

Everything slipped on pretty nicely. I fixed the bra and the cloth hanging down from the bikini and walked out.

I slowly crossed the cool floor and tapped his shoulder. He turned and couldn't help but stare at my body. "Damn…"

"Is everything on right?"

He nodded, biting his lip. I stroked his cheek and pulled him up. "Okay, fix up the rest of my skin."

He grabbed the make-up kit and began to darken specific areas. I could see that he was enjoying himself as he touched my bare skin.

He leaned forward and kissed my neck, nibbling gently. "I might reconsider what I said to you," he whispered, breathing slowly.

"What's that?"

"I might be willing to make love to you again."

"Because of the outfit?" I laughed. He began to suck on my neck, pressing his tongue against the skin. "Hey, don't get too carried away. We've still got a mission to do."

"I'm making you look like my personal slave," he whispered. "It'll take a little bit of time."

He bit my neck and I squeaked a bit. He chuckled and pulled back. I moved my head, silently telling him to do the same to the other side of my neck. He quickly obliged and repeated the same actions on this side.

"All right," he whispered, pulling away. "I need to get changed really quick and then we'll head out."

"What are you dressing up in?"

"You'll see," he said, smiling as he tapped my nose.

He walked into the storage room and emerged about a minute later. He wore worn out boots, black trousers with a chain down the side and across his waist, and a tight red tunic that showed off his muscles. He had his blue overskirt on over his trousers and his gloves were the same.

He stepped forward and came towards me. "Anakin Sexywalker," I whispered, kissing his jaw.

He smirked and stroked my rear lek. "Love you."

"I love you, too."

He handed me the make-up kit. "Can you make another scar over my left eye and across my left cheek?"

"Sure thing."

I used the small make-up brush to draw two skinny, red lines over his left eyebrow and below his eye. I did the same thing across his cheek. "Anything else?"

"Nah, unless you want some scars?"

"Do you think I need some?"

He shrugged. "That's your choice."

"Give me one beside my mouth."

He took the kit and got a lighter color to trace over the edge of my mouth. He put the kit down and stepped back to inspect me. "You look good…" he trailed off. "In a slave kind of way."

"And you look good, too…" I laughed. "In a jerk-like kind of way."

He rolled his eyes and levitated the chains and collar back into his hands. I took the collar and put it around my neck while he shackled my wrists. He made sure everything looked fine before leading me out of the ship again.

He walked me all the way to Jabba's palace. We were questioned by a guard. "What business do you have here?"

"I'm here to make a deal with a bounty hunter. I brought my slave as a gift."

The guard inspected me and I could see the drool beginning to form around his lips. "Who is she a gift for?"

"That's my business."

The guard nodded and led us further into the palace. "_I can sense Obi-Wan._"

"Me, too."

"Does the girl speak basic?"

"She's fluent in Togruti and basic. I taught her basic myself."

The guard nodded. "How often does she speak?"

"Only when directly spoken to."

He pointed towards a large doorway. "Jabba is in there. You can head in there and see if your bounty hunter is there."

Anakin nodded and tugged on the chain. I grunted, almost tripping forward as he continued to walk. "Master?" I whispered.

The guard glanced at him curiously as he spun around. "You don't speak until I say so!" he shouted at me. "How dare you insult me in Jabba's palace, _slave._"

"I – I'm sorry, M – Master…"

"_Don't hate me for this_," he whispered into my head quickly. He spoke aloud, "I said you don't speak unless given permission!" He raised his mechanical hand and slapped me across the face.

I whimpered and fell to the floor, holding the side he'd hit. "_I'm so sorry,_" he kept repeating into my head. I could hear the pain in his mental voice.

He pulled me up violently and tugged me against his side. I still had my hands against my face and he glanced at me sorrowfully. "_I didn't mean to hurt you like that._ _How bad is it?_"

Tears slid down my cheeks. "I'm fine," I thought back to him.

He draped his arm over my shoulders and rubbed my left shoulder gently. I felt his worried eyes on me, but I couldn't exactly react to the hit the way I might've if I'd known he was going to do that. My left cheek was stinging and throbbing.

We entered Jabba's main hall and took a seat in the back. He gently tugged on the chain and forced me onto his lap.

Anakin's flesh hand rubbed my cheek, causing more pain. "_I'm so sorry._" He let me nuzzle my face into the crook of his neck. He rubbed my side slowly.

I felt his jaw quiver and I pulled back to look up at him. His eyes were closed and I could tell that he was on the verge of tears. "You're going to mess up the make-up if you cry," I whispered to him.

He opened his eyes and smiled weakly at me. "I am sorry," he whispered aloud.

"I know, Skyguy. I forgive you."

"You're amazing," he chuckled.

Jabba began to speak and Anakin glanced up, listening intently.


	22. Chapter 22

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

Ahsoka was in the center of the hall, dancing with the other slaves. I had to admit that her dances were flawless and amazing, but I couldn't stick around and watch for a long period of time.

I was sneaking through the halls, attempting to unveil some information or storage area as to where Obi-Wan was being kept. Sure, the bastard had really gotten to me in the last few months, but he was still my old Master and my friend.

I sighed in frustration as I couldn't get a clear trace on his Force signature. The only things I could smell were alcohol and numerous substances that lured me – _no. _I told Ahsoka that I'd given up on doing drugs. I knew that's what I was smelling.

"Hey, sweetheart," a feminine voice whispered behind me.

I spun quickly to see a blue Twi'lek. By the clothing she was wearing, she was definitely one of Jabba's slaves. "How did you get out here?"

"I saw you with the Togruta. I assume that she's not your only slave?"

"Do you have orders to speak to me?" I growled, attempting to make myself sound like a dominant owner.

"Do you take offense to my speaking to you?"

"Get back to your Master and I'll forget that you spoke to me."

I continued walking and I heard her light footsteps following me. I closed my eyes, internally sighing. I reached into my tunic and pulled out a small blaster. I spun quickly and aimed it at her head. "Is there a reason you're following me?"

She looked frightened by the blaster, but it appeared as though she'd been used to being held at blaster point. "I _want _you."

"Go find another man to frak."

"Don't you want slaves? You seem to beat the Togruta a lot. Doesn't that mean you frak her a lot? Why don't you do it to me?"

"I'm going to blast your miniscule brain right out of your head if you don't take a hint and get back to your Master."

I heard another pair of light footsteps coming down the hall. I held the blaster up and was greeted with a scared squeak. "Come here," I ordered.

Ahsoka stepped around the corner. "Master, I –"

"Remember your lesson from earlier," I snapped. "Come."

She came towards me and glanced at the Twi'lek. "Love, can you take this one back to Jabba?"

"Yes, Master," she whispered. She took the Twi'lek's arm and led her back down the hallway. "_I hope you know what you're doing._"

"When do I? I just need you to keep the other slaves occupied while I'm roaming around."

"_Anything for you, Master._"

I shook my head. "You're going to regret that later, my little slave."

She giggled in my head. "_Bring it on, Master._"

A droid walked past me. "Do you desire a drink, sir?"

I sighed and took a glass from the tray, chugging it in one gulp. The droid began to walk away from me.

I licked my lips to taste the alcohol again. I ran after the droid and took another glass, drinking it just as quickly. "Thanks, droid."

I wiped my mouth and continued on my way.

**Later.**

"Master," a voice whispered. "Master, wake up."

I groaned and opened my eyes. "S – Snips?"

She smiled down at me, running her fingers through my hair. "What happened?" I asked, sitting up.

She stood up and helped me up. "I was actually going to ask you that. I _just _found you. What's the last thing you remember?"

"I took a drink from a droid. Two, actually…" I rubbed the back of my head. "It must have had some kriffing drug in it."

I felt a few presences coming towards us. I immediately slammed her back against the wall and began to kiss her fiercely. She grabbed my hands and slid them into her bikini. Her hands were against the wall. She had a feeling that she wasn't allowed to touch me, even under these circumstances.

A few whistles erupted behind us and continued as they walked past.

Once they were a distance from us, I pulled back. Her hands grabbed my shoulders and pulled me forward. "Come on, Master," she smirked.

I chuckled and rubbed her jaw gently. "I'll give you more later."

I could feel a slight rift in the Force. Ahsoka glanced up at me worriedly. "You feel it, too?" I asked.

She nodded silently as I took her hand. "You shouldn't hold my hand."

I gave her a sad look and nodded. I grabbed the chain and tugged her along behind me. I almost knocked her down with the first pull. "Hey, I said loosen up, Anakin."

"Sorry," I mumbled.

I led her into a dark room. I groped the wall for a switch of some sort while keeping her attached to me. The room came to life in a dim flicker. I saw a large, narrow wall in the far end of the room.

I gasped when I realized that that wasn't a wall. "He's in carbonite," I whispered.

"Anakin, someone's coming."

I turned around and pushed her back into a corner. "I'd tell you to take the top off, but I don't think you want to."

"If I have to –"

"Your choice."

She quickly pulled the top up and slid the bikini down a little ways. I unfastened my belt and pulled my trousers down a bit. Someone entered the room as I held myself above her.

She was shivering from the coolness of the floor on her bare skin. "You two busy over there?"

I glanced over at the voice. "Not yet. Want us to leave?" I said, deepening my voice again.

"Would ya mind?"

"No problem. Get dressed," I ordered. I hovered over her as she pulled her clothes back into their original positions. Once she was all right, she pulled my trousers up and fastened my belt.

I got up and pulled her up with the chain. "Sorry, mate," I said as we walked past the man. He nodded and watched us leave.

We walked back into the main hall and sat down in a corner. I held her on my lap. She leaned down to kiss my neck. "Now that we know where he is," she whispered. "What's the plan?"

"We'll have to find some way to contact the Council."

Jabba began to speak once again. He wanted the dancers back in the center of the room. One of the men in front of me glanced at us. "Get up there," I ordered her.

I put the chain in her hands and smacked her ass. She quickly skipped towards the other dancers. The band began to play and sing on the right side of the room.

I watched Ahsoka dance with the chain. She seemed to be watching the other dancers as she went along. "Look at you," I chuckled in her head.

"_You're going to distract me._"

I leaned back in my chair, putting my hands behind my head.

The man in front of me stood and came back to me. "So that Togruta is yours?"

"Indeed."

"She got a nice bod, eh?"

"She's got the best there is."

He nodded slowly, watching my eyes. "Mind if I ask if ya be sellin' her?"

I laughed. "I've actually been asked about that a lot today. She's not for sale. That's my _personal _babe."

"She got a good mouth?"

"Depends on what she's usin' it for," I replied.

He laughed. "Can I use her for the night?"

"We'll see."

The music ended and Jabba grumbled about how two of the three dancers weren't as appealing. The two happened to be the Twi'leks. I had a really bad feeling all of a sudden.

"Come back to me," I whispered into her head. "Now!"

I stood up and she ran to me. Once she left the middle of the room, the floor opened up and the Twi'leks fell down into the underground cave of the rancor.

I held Ahsoka against me as the two girls began to scream. I stroked her rear lek. "It's all right," I whispered repeatedly.

The rancor roared as the screaming continued. I heard the sickening crunch of the one girl amongst the cheers of the owners and bounty hunters in the room. The remaining Twi'lek began to shriek until another crunch echoed through the hall.

The screams had stopped and the rancor continued to growl in fury. It was still hungry.

"I don't want to die," she whispered. I felt her tears soak through my tunic as she buried her face into my chest.

I gripped the part of the chain closest to her collar and gently pulled her with me. I led her out of the room and into a secluded hallway. "I think I'm going to be sick," she said quickly.

I let her go and she ran to a bucket that was a few meters away from us. She emptied the contents of her stomach into it as I knelt down beside her. I rubbed her back slowly. "I'm sorry, Ahsoka."

Once she was finished, she fell backwards against me. "Come on. Let's go find a room to stay in for the night."

She nodded and I helped her up.

I found an empty room that seemed to have been unoccupied for a while. There was a single bed on the far end of the room. She darted towards it and hopped onto it, immediately lying down.

I walked across the room and lay down beside her. I stroked her right lek. "Want me to take your chains off?"

"No. If someone comes in, they'll think I'm free. Everyone here knows I'm you're slave, so that wouldn't look good on our part."

I shrugged and scooted closer to her. I kissed her nose and watched her eyes close. "Get some sleep, Snips."

I waited until she was asleep before I got off of the bed. I covered her up with a few blankets since she was practically naked. I locked the door from the inside. No one would come in here unless they broke the door down. Even then, Ahsoka could contact me through our bond.

I walked out into the corridor, sneaking through the halls. Everyone had gone to sleep pretty quickly.

I wandered into a room full of females. "You son of a bantha," I mumbled to myself. The smoke in the room overwhelmed my nostrils, but the smell was something I couldn't resist.

"Ya want some?" one of the girls spoke up. I looked at the drugs – the ones I'd bought a while back. I missed the smell. I missed the feeling. I loved to be high…

I nodded silently and the girl came towards me. She took my hand and led me towards the others. I sat down and she handed me a wrap. I slowly began to inhale the drug.

My senses became overwhelmed. My sadness was washed away. All the pain and regret I've felt vanished. Everything that was on my down side was gone.

My heart beat like it would after running for an hour straight. It beat like it did each time Ahsoka smiled.

I took a few more wraps and quickly inhaled them as well.

A Twi'lek handed me a bottle of something. I didn't exactly care what it was. My throat was burning and _anything _would satisfy the thirst.

As I gulped down the contents of the beverage, I could pick out the hints of the drug within. I chugged it down quickly and smiled afterwards. "You ladies have any more of that?" I asked. My vision was slightly hazy and my thoughts were swirling around in my head.

I couldn't decipher most of what was going on in my head. All I knew was that I wanted _more, more, and more._

Greed is not the way of the Jedi, but _needs _have to be taken care of whether the Jedi like it or not.


	23. Chapter 23

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Light shined through the barred window of the small room in Jabba's palace. I stretched my arms out in front of me, kicking at the sheets. I realized that Anakin wasn't lying beside me and I grew concerned.

His side of the bed was _very _cold. It was almost like he hadn't even slept on it. I jumped up and ran over to the door. It was _locked._

"Anakin?" I whispered into the bond. "Where are you?"

I realized that the lock was from the inside. I quickly unlocked it and walked into the cool hallway. It was empty, but I could sense and feel Anakin's presence much better.

I walked a short distance away from the room and pushed another heavy door open. I saw the heap lying on the floor across the room. That heap was _Anakin._ He was lying on the floor with bruises on his cheeks. "Master!" I shouted. I ran to him with the chains clattering against the floor.

I knelt beside him and grabbed his shoulder, beginning to shake him violently. "Wake up, please…" I pleaded. My voice sounded desperate.

His hand flew out and grabbed my right lek. His eyes had a wild look about them. "Ah… Ahsoka?" His voice sounded rough and drowsy.

I stared into his lifeless eyes. "What _happened _to you?" Once my fear subsided, my senses went back to normal. He smelled of alcohol and _drugs._ "You _didn't…_"

He shut his eyes quickly and tightly. "Could you keep your voice down?" he whispered while rubbing his temples.

I fell back away from him, burying my face into my hands. How could he do that to himself? "What's wrong with you?" he coughed.

He didn't even _sound _like himself. This man wasn't my caring and loving Anakin. This was the high and selfish Anakin. I'd just recently found out that he detoxified himself. I thought that was wonderful. How could he _not _fight the temptation to start again after going through that process?

"Babe," he whispered. "Can you hand me that?" I lifted my head to see him pointing at a wrap across the room.

"_No._"

I felt a presence near the doorway. "You're _my _damn slave. You'll do what I say."

"And you're acting like a bastard."

He grabbed the chain and forced me to come closer to him. I grunted as the small amount of pain began to build up in my neck. He hit me with his mechanical hand for the second time since we arrived yesterday.

He pushed me away from him, allowing me to fall to the floor, as I started to cry. I held the side of my face. That hit had much more force put into it. "Get up."

The presence entered the room in the form of a man and paused in the doorway. Anakin's cold eyes focused on me. "I said _get up._"

I pushed myself up while holding my face. I wanted to lash out at him, but then I wouldn't be in character. I would risk the entire rescue mission if I so much as made an attempt to hit him back. Once we got back to Coruscant, he'd totally be in for it.

I walked over to him and he roughly tugged on the chain, forcing me to get in his face. "Get on your knees right here."

"Master, please –"

"Now!" he shouted. I watched him cringe at the loudness of his own voice. I could see that he wasn't serious.

I stared into his eyes as I knelt down in front of him. He knew that I wasn't ready for this. That should have been my first clue. Sure, I'd offered to suck him a few times, but he knew that I really didn't want to. He'd never take advantage of me regardless of being under the influence of drugs and drinks.

"Master…"

"Do I need to remind you that you speak only when spoken to?" he snapped.

I saw the man that had been watching us. He seemed to approve of Anakin's actions and nodded before leaving. "Please don't make me do this," I whispered once the man was gone.

He gently pulled me up and held me against his chest. "You know I'd never do that to you."

"I thought you were going to warn me the next time you planned to hit me," I mumbled against his tunic.

"There wasn't much time to."

I pulled back to stare up at his face. "Now, you have some explaining to do. What happened? Why are you doing this to yourself again?"

He lifted his flesh hand and stroked my cheek. Though his touch was light and gentle, there was a bit of pain. I cringed as he wiped away my tears. "Does it hurt that bad?"

"Stop changing the subject."

"I want to make sure you're all right."

I pulled his hand away from my face. "Stop it," I whispered. "You aren't being fair to yourself or me. I thought you said you were done with the drugs."

He shook his head and closed his eyes. "I missed the feeling of being high. I wanted to feel free instead of caged within myself. I was offered some and didn't pass it up."

"For what price?"

"I don't know. I was too damn high to remember anything, especially after I took a swig of whatever was in that glass."

The door opened behind me and a few female Twi'leks entered, staring at me. "Is this your slave?" one asked, glancing at Anakin.

He nodded silently. "Well, aren't ya goin' to treat her like a slave?"

"_I don't want to right now. I already hurt you enough_," he thought to me.

"Just do it," I thought back. "They need to believe that you're not a softie."

"_Me – a softie? Hell no. If I say hurtful things to you, just know that deep down I really love you. I love you no matter what I do._"

"I know, sweetheart. No more drugs."

"_I can't promise that…_"

"Try," I growled into his head.

The Twi'leks were glancing at us in a very suspicious way. They must have noticed how intensely we were staring at each other. He blinked and grabbed the binders on my wrists. He held them above my head and pushed me against a wall. "Keep those above your head _or else_," he threatened.

I nodded silently as his hands released mine. I kept them above my head like he told me to. His hands roamed down my arms, lekku, and finally my body.

He slipped his fingers into the bikini and I shivered. "Master…" I sighed.

His other hand lifted to my neck, grabbing the chain. "Don't talk."

His mouth moved to my neck and began to gently and slowly suck on the skin. I felt his teeth graze over it, but he didn't bite. I felt his fingers inside of my lower area and it took everything in me to not react to it.

He wanted me to be calm about this, but I couldn't hide the fact that I was excited. I bit my lip to contain the moans that wanted to escape.

His tongue slid over my neck and down my body. He traced an area of my collarbone before moving down to my chest. He one-handedly unclasped the golden bra and it fell to the floor.

I was a bit shocked that he would actually go this far with others watching.

"_Do you want to have sex?_"

His head lifted and his eyes met mine for a brief moment. I could see the desire in his eyes. "Yes."

"_You're actually ready right now._"

I closed my eyes as his hand moved away from the bikini for a moment. He slowly slid the bikini down my legs, exposing my skin. "_I didn't know that you weren't wearing anything under this…_"

"There wasn't any room," I laughed into his head.

I heard the light thud as the bikini dropped to the floor. "Lay down," he commanded.

He moved back to allow me enough room to lie on the floor. I shivered a bit as I watched him begin to pull his tunic over his head. He tossed the tunic down beside me and the Twi'leks whistled. I felt the stripes on my lekku darken as I glanced over at them. All they could do was _stare _at him.

"_Jealous, are we?_"

I looked at the smirk on his face. His eyes were locked on me and I was grateful for that. "A little…"

"_Don't be. You're the only one for me._"

He unfastened his belt and pulled his trousers down. He kicked his boots off and swung the trousers off as well. The whistles intensified as they saw his erection.

He positioned himself above me. I smiled as his hair dangled down in front of his face.

"Make her feel like the slave that she is!" one of the girls shouted, laughing.

He slid into me slowly, pulling out just as slowly. I gasped a little. His member was kind of _big_ and I didn't think that it was possible for him to fit inside of me.

I put my hands on his sides, rubbing him slowly despite the small injury that I knew would hurt him. That was the least I could do right now considering he'd hit me twice. He groaned and closed his eyes.

"Faster!" a girl laughed. It sounded like the same one.

"Do it," I whispered into his head.

He repeated his slow motion one more time before slamming into me. He began to frak me quickly and I tried to hold back the screams that wanted to erupt out of me.

I bent my knees and crossed my legs over his back. After he thrust deeply into me, I couldn't hold back anymore.

I screamed and arched my back.

Once I fell back against the floor, he grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers. "_I love you._"

He kissed my left breast slowly before sucking on the nipple. I moaned and grabbed his shoulders.

There was a heavy knock on the door. "You slaves in there?"

"We're with an owner," one called out.

"Jabba wants you all out here."

The girls sighed. "Well, the fun's over…"

Anakin smiled at me warmly before pulling out of me. He stood up and pulled his pants on quickly. "Get up, bitch," he said to me.

He watched the girls leave. Once they were gone, he helped me up. "I love you so much," I whispered, burying my face into his chest.

"I love you just as much." He rubbed my rear lek gently and kissed the dip between my montrals. His hands trailed down to my waist. He rubbed my scars slowly and I hissed. "Anakin."

"Sorry," he muttered. He pulled his hands away from me and bent down to grab my clothing. He held the bikini near the floor, silently telling me to step into it. I stepped in like he wanted me to and he slid the bikini up my legs.

His fingers trailed down towards the center, heading down a little. "Take them off again if you want," I whispered.

He smirked and leaned forward to kiss me. "Perhaps in a little bit, my darling."

He picked up the bra and wrapped it around me, fastening it in the back. His hands lingered on my back, rubbing my skin slowly. "I'm so sorry for hurting you. I've never heard you scream like that."

"This was a good kind of hurt. I didn't think you were going to ram yourself into me like that."

"I won't do it again."

I reached up to stroke his hair that was now a bit sweaty. "You're the Master," I said, giggling a little.

"Indeed," he chuckled. "I am."

He waved for me to walk ahead of him out of the room. He was silently saying _ladies first._

I walked out and into the hallway. I turned to see him pull a drug into his hand and put it in a compartment on his belt. He fastened the belt around his waist and pulled his shirt over his head before coming into the hall with me.


	24. Chapter 24

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

My thoughts were swimming around in my brain. I couldn't even think straight, let alone comprehend my surroundings. I'd been able to ingest more of the drug when Ahsoka wasn't looking.

She was sitting on my hard erection in Jabba's main hall while we watched the Twi'lek girls perform.

I had my arms around her waist and she was sitting straight up. Her feet touched the floor, so she was able to tease me. She scooted her ass all over my lap, rubbing against my member. I pulled her back a little and began to nibble on her lek.

"_If you want to frak me again, why don't we just go?_"

"Don't you want to watch the ladies dance?" I chuckled.

She twisted to look at me in shock. "I didn't mean that," I quickly thought into her head, hoping to take the previous thought out.

"_Nice. Are you falling for Twi'leks now?_"

I slid my hands down her body, rubbing her lower area. "I'm still a Togruta-loving man."

She moaned and leaned her montral tips over my shoulder. "_You'd better be._"

I kissed her cheek, slowly trailing down her face towards her neck. I lightly nicked her skin before letting my tongue roam over it. "_Take me. Now._"

"Right here?"

"_No. Take me out of here and then _take _me._"

She climbed off of me and I grabbed the chain, pulling her with me as I stood and walked out of the room. Once we were alone, she spoke aloud. "Have you figured out how to contact the Council yet?"

I loosened up on the chain and stared down at her. "Not yet."

She nodded as we entered a bedroom. There was actually a bed in here, so she wouldn't be lying on the freezing floor this time. "Ahsoka, I'm not in my right mind right now. I –"

"I know you've taken more drugs."

"Why the hell are you so observant?"

She closed the door before coming over to me. She put her hands on either side of my face, smiling weakly up at me. "I'm worried about you. You're starting to scare me again. I'm afraid you're going to overdose or something…"

I held her hand on the right side of my face as she lightly traced over my real scar. "I won't. I know my limits."

"Do you?" she snapped. "You almost died on me once."

"Those were pills. I took a little too much from the bottle. I'm sorry."

"These are _drugs! _I'm sure these are a bit more potent than the pills you were taking. It just took taking a few extra to send your body over the edge. Imagine what your death would have done to me…"

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Ahsoka."

She kept the hand that I was holding on my face, but lowered the other one to her stomach. "Anakin, if I get pregnant, the drugs could really hurt a baby."

I stared at her, my jaw dropping. "I…" I trailed off, forcing myself to look away from her. "I never thought about… _that…_"

"It's something you need to think about now. If I get pregnant, I'll be carrying it. If it makes it through the nine months, it might have… _problems._ I'm not consuming anything illegal, so…"

"So if our child had these problems, I'd be the one at fault," I said, grinding slowly through the sentence.

"Every time we've had sex, it was unprotected. We were lucky the first few times, but what if this time or the next time…" she trailed off. "What if we aren't so lucky?"

"Do you think you're pregnant now?"

"I don't know. I don't have a droid to test me."

"Do you want to get tested?"

"Anakin, I don't even want to have sex right now," she said, closing her eyes. She held her head like she was in pain. I wrapped my arms around her.

"I understand."

I heard her quiet sobs and felt her shoulders shaking. I rubbed her rear lek and back in an attempt to calm her down. "I really do understand, Ahsoka. I'm high as frak right now, but I know what you're talking about. This is serious."

She turned a little to wipe her eyes and sniffle. "I'm scared."

"You have every right to be," I whispered, closing my eyes. I began to hate myself a little more now that I knew _I _was hurting her.

The door opened and two blue Twi'leks entered the room. A purple one came in afterwards. "Hey, sweet thing," one whispered, smiling at me. "We brought you more sweets."

I saw the glass in her hand. I could tell that it was laced with several drugs and that made it all the more appealing. I reached out and took the glass, chugging the contents quickly. Ahsoka stared up at me in horror.

"_Did anything I _just _said get through to you?_"

My vision blurred and my head began to pound. I felt the pressure of Ahsoka's body fade away from me.

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Anakin fell onto his back as I was ripped out of his arms by the two blue Twi'leks. "Master!" I screeched.

The chain around my neck was gripped harshly and attached to something on the wall. My wrists – bound already – were shackled against the wall as well and a gag was stuffed into my mouth.

"Move him into the center of the room," one girl whispered – the purple one. "The surveillance will have the best shot there."

The two blue females dragged Anakin by his legs until he was in the middle of the room. The purple one crawled on top of him and slapped the right side of his face. "Hey, sweetheart, wake up."

He groaned and opened his eyes slowly. The purple girl turned to face the blue one that had gagged me. "Li'ha, would you like to go first? You're the only virgin."

Li'ha looked to be about my age, if not younger. She was one of the girls that supplied Anakin with the drugs and alcohol last night. She nodded slowly and moved towards Anakin as the purple one stood.

She nervously unbuttoned Anakin's blood red tunic and let it fall at his sides. Her hands unfastened the belt and she dragged his pants down to his knees, removing the boots along with them.

I tried to scream for him, but my cries were muffled. His thoughts were too foggy for me to attempt talking to him through our bond.

I watched as Li'ha pulled her shorts down to reveal her lower half. Anakin – unaware and drugged – stared up at her in awe. A hint of jealousy took over me, but there was nothing I could do. If I used the Force to attempt to find my lightsaber in his clothing – probably in his belt – then I would risk him and Master Kenobi.

"Come here, baby," he whispered. I knew he wasn't entirely himself and I couldn't really… Well, I could blame him, but I don't want to. I love him. I would love him even if these girls took advantage of him while he was drugged.

The girl slowly lowered herself onto him and I closed my eyes as his member slid into her. She moaned in pleasure and so did he. My heart sank a little as I heard their ongoing moans and the other sounds of their sex.

I opened my eyes for a split second to see her enjoying herself as she bounced on his lower half. Tears slid down my cheeks.

Anakin told her to go faster and she tried. His hands roamed up her body, getting into the shirt she was wearing.

She threw her head back and closed her eyes. Her mouth opened and another moan escaped her lips.

I saw a gush of liquids flood out of the girl and she gasped. Anakin laughed and tugged on her headtails. "I didn't say you could do that," he growled.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry _what?_"

"I'm sorry, Master," she whimpered. I could sense the fear rolling off of her in waves. Why did she fear him? He was just a man to take advantage of.

He pushed himself up and pressed his front against her back. He tugged on her headtails until he was able to kiss her. He practically devoured her lips…

Once he was done, she lifted herself off of him. She motioned for the purple one to go next. I tried to break the chains, but it was no use. I fell to my knees with my arms above me.

Anakin and the other two girls had the same experience as the first girl, but he came inside of the second blue one. The purple one actually sucked on him, but his mouth never touched anything aside from their lips.

They gave him a little more to drink before dressing themselves. They came over to me and the purple one – seeming to be the ringleader – hit me.

She grabbed my montrals and slammed me against the wall. I cried out only to be muffled once again by the gag. The blue one kicked me in the stomach and muttered, "Damn bitch."

She walked out and Li'ha followed. Once all three of the girls were gone, I was left alone with Anakin. He was completely exposed and unconscious right now.

"_The surveillance will have the best shot there._"

Those girls were planning on taking advantage of him. They planned to get it on video, too, and I could only imagine what they wanted to use it for.

The day dragged on until the light outside faded and I was left in darkness. The only sounds in the room were my occasional whimpers and Anakin's slow, even breathing.

My arms grew tired and eventually went numb. I closed my eyes and rested my head on the wall.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I woke up and almost wished I was dead. My head was pounding and my heart was racing. My surroundings were darkened and I didn't know where I was.

I sat up and a chill ran up my spine. I was _naked _and Ahsoka was _gone. _I groped around the floor for my clothes and quickly dressed myself.

"Ahsoka?" I thought. I coughed a bit as I walked towards a wall.

I don't understand what drew me to the wall, but I _had _to walk towards it. I reached out and felt her montrals. "Ahsoka!" I whispered.

I knelt down and grabbed her face. "Ahsoka, wake up. Wake up right now," I said repeatedly.

"Ana… Anak… in…?"

I pulled a small device out of my belt and switched it on. I stood up and looked at her montrals. They were bruised a bit more than they should have _looked._ Her arms looked stiff and a few bruises were forming on her stomach. What hurt the most was how _miserable _she looked.

I quickly undid the chains and she fell forward against my legs.

I knelt down and pulled her into my arms. "Can… can you… kill me?" she whispered, staring at me with the saddest eyes in the galaxy.

"Why the hell would I do that?" I whispered fiercely, tears building up in my eyes. I couldn't remember anything, yet she was chained to a wall and in _pain._ Force knows how long she was like that…

The moonlight danced on her skin and gave her tears a slight sparkle. She shut her eyes tightly and gripped my tunic. "Just do it."

"Frak no."

I scooped her up into my arms as she cried. I carried her down a few halls until we reached an exit.

"We're going back to the ship," I whispered as we neared the exit. "I'm going to see what the Council wants me to do, I'm going to attempt to detoxify myself again, and _we _are going to _talk._"

"I don't want to talk to you. I just want you to kill me."


	25. Chapter 25

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

"How long do you plan on staring at the projector? I don't think they're going to get back to us. I mean, we've been sitting here for ten minutes, if not longer…"

I spun in my chair to glare at her. I'd had to chain her to the interior ceiling of the ship so she didn't do anything stupid. She tried to search for her lightsaber, but it was in my belt and I wouldn't let her anywhere near it.

"We're going to sit here until they call us back. I need to make a report and ask where to go from here. We know where Obi-Wan is and how he's being contained."

"Can you unchain me at least? My wrists are starting to hurt…"

"No," I snapped. "If you're going to try to kill yourself, you won't be going anywhere. I can hear your thoughts just as clearly as you think them, Ahsoka. I'm not as stupid as you think I am."

She pulled on the chains, only hurting herself. I actually began to think she was _intentionally _tugging on the chains. She heaved a sigh of frustration. "If you can hear my thoughts, then you know exactly _why _I want to do this."

She replayed the whole scene in her head. Most of it was blurred because she'd been crying, but I still understood what was going on. I saw what the Twi'leks did to me and what they did to _her._ She was traumatized for sure and there was nothing I could do right now.

If she kept threatening to kill herself, I'd just leave her here. I'd go rescue Obi-Wan on my own if I had to. "I won't let you go on your own."

"And I won't let you hurt yourself, Ahsoka."

She rattled the chains again as two blue images appeared on the projector. "_Skywalker, received your message, we have._"

"I'm glad to hear that. Master, Obi-Wan is frozen within a carbon block. He's very much alive, but there's usually someone patrolling the room. How should we proceed?"

"_Hm, troubling this is…_"

I sighed and glanced back at Ahsoka. "_Where is your Padawan, Skywalker?_"

I hesitated to make eye contact with the taller image. "She's asleep for the moment."

"_Wake her up. We need her present for the report._"

"Master, acting as a slave is taking a lot out of her. She really –"

"_Wake her, Skywalker._"

I ground my teeth together and nodded once before spinning the chair. I practically launched myself out of it and walked back to Ahsoka. She glared at me and flexed her fingers above her head. "Yeah, wake me up, Skywalker."

"Shut the hell up," I growled as I reached up to release her from the ceiling. She jumped up and wrapped her legs around my waist. I just stared at her like she was crazy.

"I might hate you for a little while, but I do still love you," she whispered.

"I hate myself enough for more than just the both of us, so do me a favor and stop trying to hurt yourself. If anything happens to you, I'll be at fault."

I pulled the chain down from the ceiling and her arms immediately dropped to my shoulder. "_Thank _you."

"Whatever."

I pried her off of me and removed the binders before walking back towards my seat. I sat down and stared at the holograms as Ahsoka came into the cockpit. She sat in the other seat, staring at me.

"_Padawan Tano, good to see you, it is._"

I gave her a sideways glance and saw her rubbing her wrists. Master Windu watched her. "_Is something wrong, Padawan?_"

"No," she said quickly. "I'm fine."

"_Your next course of action will be to free Master Kenobi. Skywalker, if you believe this assignment is too risky for your Padawan, you may leave her behind. We will be sending reinforcements to arrive within the next three or four hours._"

I glanced at her. "I think I _might _leave her."

Her eyes widened. "You can't be serious."

I turned back to the two Masters on the projector. Windu seemed very suspicious of her actions and very disapproving of her tone and ability to speak like that to me. "Thank you, Masters. We're looking forward to receiving your help."

"_May the Force be with you._"

I nodded and disconnected the projector. "Anakin –"

"Why the hell would you talk to me like that in front of them?" I snapped, glaring at her. "You know they don't think I'm fit to be your kriffing Master. If they see your attitude sliding, they'll catch on and you'll get reassigned. I don't think you'd mind that too much right now, but –"

"I never said I wanted to give up being your apprentice."

"So I guess _we _are finished," I whispered.

"I never said that either."

I sighed and closed my eyes. "Maybe it's better for us… for _you_ if you were to get a new Master. This isn't working out anymore."

"What do you mean this isn't working out? I still want you to be my Master!"

"You don't trust me and I understand that. I don't trust myself either. You think you love me, but you hate me, Ahsoka. You're through with me, so we're done. This is going to cause a major rift between us and I want you to excel in your abilities as a Jedi. You'll make a great Knight in a few years. As soon as we get back to Coruscant, I'm putting you in for reassignment. The reasons why will strictly be that I'm not worthy enough of being your Master."

She stared at me, gaping. I watched her blink quickly for a few moments before she leapt towards me. Her arms wrapped around my neck. "Don't do this to me," she whispered, her voice pleading. "Don't break up with me…"

"I'm not breaking up with you. You're breaking up with me."

She pulled back to stare into my eyes. "I don't want to. I love you. I love you more than anything. I loved you when you hit me because I knew you didn't mean it. I loved you when you insulted me because I knew you were trying to stay in character for the mission. I loved you even when those Twi'leks were having sex with you! I don't blame you for what they did! There's something wrong with them. It's their fault!"

"Ahsoka," I sighed. "Just admit that it's over."

"No!" she whispered. Tears built up in her eyes until she couldn't contain them any longer. A stream poured out of her eyes and down her cheeks. She ran her fingers through my hair. "Anakin, don't."

"It's time to go."

I pushed her away from me and got up. I grabbed the binders and tried to put them back on her wrists, but she wasn't letting me.

She grabbed the binders and threw them onto the floor. She took my hands in hers, holding them tightly. "Listen to me," she whispered.

I sighed and stared sadly at her. "I'm listening."

"We've been through a lot in the last few months. You've had to deal with my drama and I've dealt with the small amount you had. I've trusted you all this time. Sure, I didn't trust you in the first few moments that we were together, but I grew to trust you more than I've ever trusted anyone. I've never trusted someone. I tell you all of my secrets because I know you'll keep them to yourself. I also know that I've let you down a lot recently and I want to make it up to you. I'm not saying that we need to make love or have sex or whatever you want to call it. I'm saying that I want another chance."

"Ahsoka, I –"

"I'm still talking. I want another chance for us to rebuild our trust system. I lost my faith in you when you took up the drugs again. You lost faith in _yourself. _I don't understand why you'd do that to yourself after staying clean for a while. I keep thinking that it was my fault, my doing, but in reality, I don't know the answer. I don't think you do either. Drugs are just a temptation and you fell into the trap. I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you safe. I love you, Anakin, very much. I don't want to lose you. Please don't end what we have."

"Ahsoka, _you _can't keep me safe," I sighed. I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes. Her small hands touched my chest and I forced myself to open my eyes.

She looked so sad and desperate. I could see that she still wanted me, but I didn't want to hurt her anymore. It was bad enough that I wasn't training her properly in the ways of the Force…

I caved in. "We can make this work," I sighed. I lifted my mechanical hand to stroke her cheek. "I'm going to prove that I'm good enough for you. I _will _take better care of _both _of us."

She smiled widely and hugged me tightly. "When we get back to Coruscant, things are going to be different," I whispered against her montrals as I pulled her into a more romantic hug.

"I hope you mean a _good _kind of different," she said.

"I wouldn't say that if I meant for it to be bad."

We separated our bodies, but kept our hands somewhere. My hand was on her hip and her fingers traced the real scar below my right eye. "I'm going to make you the second best Jedi."

"Who's the first?" she laughed.

"Me, of course."

She rolled her eyes and lowered her hand. She held her hands at my waist level and lifted the binders into them. "Let's go get Master Kenobi."

I gently replaced the binders on her wrists. "I love you, Ahsoka Tano. You're the brightest star in my darkest nights, the twin suns above the Dune Sea, and the heart to my selfish soul."

"You're not selfish," she whispered. She lifted her hands to touch my face. She rubbed my jaw slowly, smiling weakly at me. "You're far from it. We all make mistakes, Anakin, but you learn from those mistakes."

I tugged the chain attached to her collar and closed my eyes as I pulled her into a kiss. After a few moments, I opened my eyes to separate us. I rubbed her cheek, tracing over the marking there. I got a little too distracted by her facial markings. My fingers traced over the diamonds on her forehead before travelling down the small markings from the forehead down. I rubbed my thumb over the arched white line above her left eye.

She smiled widely and grabbed my other hand, intertwining our fingers. "So I see that it only takes a little bit to fascinate you, love."

"There's a lot about you that fascinates me," I whispered, staring into her eyes. "You're very beautiful and I can easily get lost with you."

"Speaking of getting lost," she laughed. I stared at her, confused.

She pulled back and walked into the storage area. She came out a moment later with a medical droid. "Anakin, please?"

I nodded and walked over towards her. The droid began its process of sticking a needle into my arm and sucking out all of the _bad contents _from my system.

After a few minutes, I felt a little better. My guilt was the dominant feeling right now, but other than that, I felt like I was normal.

I'd be a little off for a few days, but I had Ahsoka here to take care of me. She grabbed my mechanical hand and smiled up at me. "I will take care of you."

"I know," I whispered. "You'll have plenty of time to watch over me, but right now, Obi-Wan needs us. I wonder what the bastard did to get himself into this mess anyway."

"I'm sure we'll find out."

I shrugged. "Hopefully."

I grabbed the chain and led her out of the ship and back to Jabba's palace. We snuck back in and it appeared as though no one had noticed we'd been gone for an hour.


	26. Chapter 26

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Once again, we were in Jabba's main hall. I was kneeling beside Anakin's chair as he 'watched' the dancers. In reality, he was spanning his senses to listen to the many conversations around us.

I rested my head on his lap and closed my eyes. He was always so warm.

I felt his flesh hand rub my rear lek slowly. "_I think I'm catching on to someone._"

I opened my eyes and looked up at him. He looked very distant, but he was doing his best to keep himself involved with me. "Oh?"

"_Someone said something about a Jedi stealing crates of rum and such. We know Obi-Wan's had a problem with drinks, but he hasn't done anything recently. So if I understand this correctly, he stole from a bounty hunter._"

"And the bounty hunter in question wants to kick his ass?"

"_Yes. They stored him in the carbon for safekeeping until they get a freighter or some ship to head back to wherever they came from._"

"For those of us that have no experience with carbon freezing, how do we free him?"

"_I'm new to this, too, Ahsoka. I'm pretty sure I saw a panel of some sort, but I didn't have the chance to actually _look _at it._"

"Then let's go look at it."

"_All right,_" he internally sighed. "_Come on._"

He nudged me a bit until I stood up. He grabbed the part of the chain that was closest to the collar and tugged on it. "Ow," I whispered aloud.

He glanced back, hoping no one heard me. I mentally kicked myself because I should have known better. He'd only hit me enough times to prove that I needed to watch myself. "_I didn't hit you to prove anything. I'm… trying… to fit the role._"

We were finally alone and he loosened up. I sighed in relief as he turned around and put his hand against my face. "I'm going to try to keep the slave owner from hitting you again. I'm Anakin now, so…" he smiled and his eyes lit up a little.

I giggled and hugged him. "Okay, Anakin, let's go get Master Kenobi."

Our steps were silent as we crept through the corridors. We found the right one and entered the room we'd seen him in. To our surprise, he wasn't there anymore. "What the hell?"

I looked up at him. "How the frak do you move –"

A blaster was fired and he was shot in the right side. He fell to the floor, clutching the wound. I turned to see a Zabrak female. "Is your Master a Jedi, child?"

I stared at her, acting afraid. "I know he doesn't let you speak, but you can speak freely with me, little one."

I stared at Anakin. His eyes were shut tightly and his teeth were grinding against each other. "He's not a Jedi," I whispered.

"What do you want with the man in carbon?" she asked, stepping towards him.

I knelt down beside him and put pressure on his side. Blood was dripping down onto the cemented floor. "I… I've got a score… to settle with… the bastard…" he gasped, looking up at her.

He turned towards me and kept his eyes locked with mine. "_I need you to subtly grab my blaster. It's attached to my trousers… near the top of my boots… beneath the overskirt…_"

I turned my body to face him completely as I kept the pressure on his side. He shifted his leg closer to me and I reached towards his boots. I felt the blaster and carefully pulled it out and slid it into his hand. It was a small blaster, so I don't think the bounty hunter saw it.

She was too busy making sure no one else came into the room. "What issue needs to be resolved with him?" she asked Anakin.

I coughed violently when his eyes met mine. He loaded the blaster and set it to stun. He nodded slowly and I quickly moved out of his line of sight. A purple ray shot out of the blaster and enveloped the bounty hunter, temporarily paralyzing her.

I ran over to her and grabbed her blaster. "Give it to me," Anakin whispered from the floor. I turned and threw it to the floor. It slid beneath him.

"Damn you!" the Zabrak shouted at him.

I helped him up, wrapping his left arm around my shoulders. The blaster was in his left hand while the right hand was putting pressure on the wound. "Where is he?" Anakin asked.

She gave him a very cold look. "You _are _a Jedi. That scar gave you away. You're Skywalker, aren't you?"

"All right, I'm a Jedi," he admitted. He dropped the blaster and used the Force to hold the bounty hunter in the air. "So you'll tell me where the other Jedi is being held," he growled.

I stared up at his face. He seemed so determined and _angry._ His fingers were closing around each other, thus restricting the Zabrak's air. "Two – rooms – down," she gasped.

Anakin's shaking hand relaxed and she fell to the floor. "Thank you," he whispered.

With my help, he was able to walk out of the room. He was limping a bit, cringing and groaning at the pain in his side. "Anakin, let me go in there. I can handle it."

"No. I don't want you to get hurt."

He slammed himself against a wall and scared me a little. He lifted his arm from my shoulder and slid it down to his belt. He opened a compartment and slid my lightsaber out of it, handing it to me. "Be careful with that, please," he pleaded. I nodded as he pulled his own out of the belt.

"How did you fit those in there?"

"Snips, I make things to fit my needs."

I rolled my eyes. "Obviously."

"Ha ha," he sighed. "Very funny."

I pressed my hand against his side. His red tunic was stained with his blood. "I'm fine, Ahsoka. I really am."

"You're in a lot of pain."

"Nothing I can do about it now though. Come on. I need you to focus."

"What's the plan?"

"You lead and I'll watch your ass – I mean back."

I chuckled and rolled my eyes. "You're funny."

He moved my hand away from him and straightened up. I stood on one side of the doorway as he moved towards the other side.

He nodded and I reached out and turned the knob to open the door. Something burst out of the room and jumped at me. I screamed and began to thrash as the person began to strangle me.

Whatever it was ended up being thrown down the corridor by Anakin. He extended his hand towards me and helped me up. "Sorry."

"Little delayed, Master?"

"I said sorry."

He looked at the figure lying on the floor. "That's another bounty hunter. He's a Trandoshan. Obviously there's something big going on if all these bounty hunters want Obi-Wan."

He backed up a bit and cautiously sidestepped into the room that Master Kenobi was supposedly in.

The block was in a corner. Anakin ran over to it and pressed his hand against one of Obi-Wan's. "This is definitely him."

"You can tell by touching a _block?_"

"I can feel him better," he said quickly. "Watch the door. I'm going to see if I can figure this thing out. The last thing I want to do is kill him. I won't be able to hear his complaints afterwards."

I rolled my eyes and watched the door for him. I glanced back as he began to guess which button did what. Halfway through the process, he began to second guess himself. "Anakin," I said, turning to face him. "Just do what you think you should do. If you keep rethinking everything, we'll be here for a while."

He bit his lip and nodded. He pressed a button and stepped back. "_Please don't die_," he kept repeating to himself in his head.

A bright light began to burn through the carbon. I walked towards him and wrapped my arms around him. His hand rested on my hip and his fingers traced one of the white stripes on my leg.

Master Kenobi's flesh began to show as the carbon dissolved around him. After a few moments, Master Kenobi's entire body was able to breathe.

Anakin quickly stepped forward and grabbed his former Master as he fell from the casing. Master Kenobi was shaking uncontrollably like he was freezing.

Anakin lowered him to the floor and I knelt down beside him. I put my hand on his shoulder and stared into his face. I lowered my hand and moved his hair away from his eyes. "He's alive. Everything worked," I whispered, smiling at him.

He closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. I moved my hand down his face from his hair and rubbed his cheek. He held Master Kenobi in his arms until his eyes slowly opened. "What – what's going on?"

"Obi-Wan," Anakin breathed. "It's me. Ahsoka and I came for you."

"Where am I? I can't see a blasted thing."

"We're on Tatooine. How long do you think it'll take for your vision to return?"

His voice shook as he spoke and I could see him shaking a little. Obi-Wan reached up and touched Anakin's chest. "It'll be a while before I can see. I believe it takes a few hours."

"That's all we've got. There are Jedi on their way to come get us."

"Anakin, they can't learn anything from these bounty hunters," he whispered desperately. "They're sneaky and –"

"You stole from them."

"Why would I do such a –"

"You can't kriffing lie to me, Obi-Wan. I know you too damn well for that. Why didn't you tell me about this? You knew I had my own! I would have given you a glass or two for free. You could've saved us all from a lot of trouble," he snapped back.

I moved to his other side and held the wound that still had blood trickling out of it. "Damn it, Ahsoka," he growled, turning on me. His glare scared me. "Just stop touching it, okay?" he whispered.

"What's wrong?" Master Kenobi asked.

"Nothing."

"Ahsoka, what happened to him?"

"_Don't bring it up or I'll be _really _upset with you._"

I bit my lip and lifted myself a little to kiss his hair. He closed his eyes and leaned against my lips as I continued to slowly press them against his sweaty hair. "I love you," I whispered into his thoughts.

"_I hope you know that I love you, too…_"

"I do know that."

He smiled and turned his head to take my lips in a passionate kiss. We separated and smiled at each other.

I helped him lift Master Kenobi into a standing position. Anakin groaned as most of Master Kenobi's weight was on him. I stared up into his eyes, watching the amount of pain from there.

We carefully stepped out of the room, only to be met by several blasters. "Where do you think you're going?"

Master Kenobi ducked out of the way as Anakin's mechanical hand swung over his head and connected with a blaster. His left hand ignited his lightsaber and slashed through a few more blasters.

Anakin held his lightsaber out in front of him as he stood defensively in front of me and Master Kenobi. "Stand aside," he whispered, breathing heavily.

One of the men eyed me. "Give me the slave and we'll let you pass."

I stepped around Anakin and the man grabbed me. "_What are you doing?_" he screamed into my head.

"I'm giving you a chance to get him to safety. I still have my saber."

He stared at me and deactivated his lightsaber. "_I'm coming back for you._"

"I know. Just go. I'll be here when you get back."

He watched the bounty hunters. They stepped back and allowed him passage. He grabbed Master Kenobi and began to drag him. I watched him sling him over his left shoulder and run.

"Just be quick," I whispered to him.


	27. Chapter 27

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

A transport was just arriving as I got out of Jabba's palace. It landed in front of me and Masters Secura and Windu stepped off of it. A few clones stepped off and took Obi-Wan from me.

"Skywalker, where is your Padawan?"

"I'm going back for her. She was a distraction for us."

"You risked your Padawan?" he shouted at me.

I growled at him and reached for my lightsaber. "Skywalker," Master Secura whispered.

"My Padawan risked _herself._ She told me to leave her behind and now I'm going back to retrieve her like I promised her I would."

"There's no time. We need to leave now."

"I'm not leaving without my kriffing Padawan! You can leave without me for all I care, but I will not leave without her!"

I didn't give him a chance to respond. I spun around and ran back into the palace. "You still okay?" I thought, rushing it into her thoughts.

"_They're just discussing how to pay their benefactors back. Apparently Master Kenobi stole more than they were suggesting…_"

"Great, so now his mistake has us all frakked."

I charged through the palace until I reached a room that I felt her within. I pressed my hand against the door and felt her Force signature. "_I guess you could say that._"

"Dance for me, slave. Your Master must have had a reason to keep you. Jedi don't normally have slaves."

"My Master will kill you," she sneered.

She was right about that. If they did _anything _to her…

Her cry brought me back to reality. I heard one of them hit her. She fell to the floor and the man laughed. "I know he's told you not to speak unless you're told. Do you learn nothing from beatings?"

I heard her spit and I smiled to myself. She'd become a bit stronger emotionally and physically. She wasn't going to let someone shove her around without giving them something to think about.

I kicked the door down and ignited my saber. She was right in front of me on the floor. "Master," she whispered. She smiled and quickly got up, pressing herself against me. "_Don't kill them._"

"Why?"

"_I can feel your anger and so can the Masters. They're going to think something's going on._"

I deactivated my lightsaber and took her hand, pulling her out of the room. We ran through the corridors until we reached the exit. "Wait!" she whispered, pulling me back.

I stopped and looked at her. "What?"

"Are you okay?"

"No," I sighed. "I'm frustrated. They said that I wouldn't have enough time to come back for you."

"Anything else bothering you?" she pressed.

I closed my eyes and held her hand tighter. "Just everything in general. I'm such a frakking failure. I'm failing you, I'm failing the Council…"

"Don't say that."

"It's true. Ahsoka, if I weren't a failure, I wouldn't have fallen for the drugs. If I hadn't done them, I wouldn't have ended up having unwilling sex with _three _Twi'leks while you _watched._ Don't you think that's _killing _me? You're hurting for something I could've prevented!"

She grabbed my tunic and pulled me closer. "Stop this right now. We can _talk _about this later."

"I don't want to talk about this! I want to do something about it, but there's nothing I _can _do! I'm going to go crazy. Every time I look at you, my heart hurts. I lied to you. I told you I was done with the drugs, but I did it again. I sent you to the edge again! If I hadn't chained you up, I might've lost you!"

"Anakin –"

Without thinking, I pulled my lightsaber out and pointed the end that the saber would ignite from at my chest. My thumb almost pressed the button, but Ahsoka grabbed my hand. "Don't!" she screamed. "Don't do this to yourself!"

I felt like I couldn't breathe properly. Master Windu's voice echoed through the corridor. "Are you two coming or not?"

I lifted my head and looked at him. Ahsoka was staring up at me in fear. I let go of my lightsaber and allowed it to roll into her hands.

I trudged across the floor until I passed Windu. Ahsoka was very close to me, staring at me.

I got onto the clone transport – a second that they must have sent down – and grabbed the handles above me. Ahsoka stood beside me. She put her hands against my side and stayed like that even after Windu stepped on. "Is there a problem, Padawan Tano?"

She showed him her hands. They were covered in blood. He looked a bit shocked, but didn't seem as concerned as he'd sounded moments ago. He nodded and she placed her hands against my side again. I hissed through my teeth and closed my eyes. "That really hurts, Ahsoka."

"_I don't care. I can't let go of you._"

I stared at her and glared. The rest of the trip was silent.

We landed in the hangar bay of a cruiser and the panel slid to the right, allowing us to exit. I pushed Ahsoka's hands away from me, replacing them with my mechanical hand, and walked off of the transport.

I surprised myself when I walked into the medbay. I hated being in here. Every time I came in, I was reminded of my past sins. I'd overdosed on pills that I shouldn't have been taking in the first place. I'd almost died here only to have my Padawan pull me out of it. I could see Obi-Wan's battered face from the night I pounded his face in. I could see Ahsoka's tears from all the pain I've caused her.

I walked over to a medical tray and grabbed the sharp medical knife. I removed the glove from my left hand – the flesh one – and stared at it. I wondered why Ahsoka had turned to this method when she was going through her pain. This was my chance to see how it felt.

I sliced through the skin, digging deeply beneath it until blood poured down my wrist and onto the floor. The pain made me feel a lot better. I closed my eyes and repeated the action, slicing my wrist over and over in different places until open wounds lined it.

I smiled at the cuts and even _licked _the blood.

A small gasp echoed through the room. I turned to look over my shoulder. Ahsoka stood in the doorway with her hand over her mouth. She quickly recovered herself and closed the door, locking it.

She ran to me and took the knife from my bloody fingers. I watched her stare at it in horror. She threw it across the room and grabbed a roll of medical gauze. She quickly began to wrap it around my wrist, breathing quickly as her hands trembled.

Once she was sure it was tight enough – or _too _tight – she held my wrist. She pressed it against my chest and stared into my eyes. "You told me to stop and now I'm going to say the same thing to you. _Stop._"

My lips trembled as I stared into her eyes. She lowered her gaze to my wrist and looked at the gauze. You would think she'd wrapped a red cloth around it. The whiteness of the wrap _vanished._ "Why did you cut so deep? Even I never went that deep…"

"It… it felt good…"

She stared at me and took my hand. "Anakin."

"I want to do it again," I said quickly. I reached my mechanical hand out towards the knife and pulled it into my hand with the Force.

"No!" she screeched. She backed up and kicked my hand. The knife flew back towards the wall – embedding itself into the durasteel.

I didn't think she had enough power to kick like _that._ "Ahsoka, just let me –"

"If I let you cut yourself, then I'm going to start again. Is that what you want?"

"If I can do it again –"

The door slid open. I stared at her in shock. She stared at me with the same expression. As far as we'd both known, it had been locked.

Luminara came in and stared at us both. "Seeing as though your Padawan is in much better condition mentally, I believe she can go to her quarters."

"Master, forgive me, but I can't leave him. He's threatening to kill himself."

She nodded. "Then you can stay. Skywalker, I want you in my personal quarters immediately. We obviously need to have a discussion about this. I'd like to hear both of your sides to this situation."

Ahsoka gripped my arm roughly and led me behind Luminara. "_I hate you for this._"

"Good."

"_Not because we have to talk to Luminara. I hate that you're doing this to yourself. I thought you were better than this. You've never inflicted self harm like this. The pills and such were bad enough, but now you're leaving physical scars._"

"I deserve them and I deserve your hatred."

Her nails dug into my skin and I moaned. The more pain that was inflicted upon me, the happier I felt.

She realized that and stopped. She took my hand instead, holding it like a friend instead of a lover.

We entered Luminara's quarters and Barriss was meditating on her own bed. She opened her eyes and smiled widely at Ahsoka. "Ahsoka, it's good to see you. Master Skywalker –" Her eyes widened when she saw how bad I looked.

"Barriss, can you get Ahsoka a new outfit, please?"

She nodded and leapt off of the bed to grab some loose clothing. She handed them to Ahsoka and she released me, walking into the refresher.

Luminara sat me down on her bed and stared into my eyes. "You're troubled."

"Really?" I asked sarcastically. "What gave you that idea?"

"Have you done this to yourself?" she asked, pointing at my wrist.

I glanced nervously at Barriss. She looked and felt concerned as she stared at me. "Yes," I whispered, looking down at my wrist. "I _wanted _to do it."

Ahsoka came out of the refresher, looking a bit more comfortable. Well, she looked comfortable with the exception of the collar still being on her neck. "_I'd ask you to take this off of me, but you might kill yourself with it._"

I stared at her sadly. "I'd take it off of you, but you're acting like a bitch."

"_I wonder why._"

Barriss stood up and helped her take the collar off. "You can stay if you'd like or we could leave our Masters to speak in privacy…"

"No," she said defensively. "I want to hear _every _word my Master says."

"Bitch," I thought directly towards her.

"_At least I'm your bitch. You have to put up with me._"

"Not much longer."

"_What do you mean?_"

I turned back to Luminara. She lifted her hands to my temples and closed her eyes. I felt my eyes roll back into my head until I closed my eyes. She was inside of my head, but I wasn't giving anything away.

I let her drift into a dark pool of _nothing._ "Skywalker, I need you to cooperate with me."

"I'll answer your questions if you _ask _me."

"Why did you do this to yourself?"

"Because I want to _die._ I was hoping that I might run out of blood soon and just drop dead. No one gives a damn and neither do I. It's not like the Council wants me here. I'm failing miserably at training Ahsoka. I'd like to resign as her Master. She needs someone that will train her better."

"No!" she screamed. Luminara and I looked at her. "Everything he's saying is a _lie! _He wants you to believe that he's going to kill himself. Master, you _aren't _failing. You're training me in the best way you can!"

"Tell me how I'm training you in the best way I can," I said coolly, watching her eyes. She looked very defensive and hurt, but she stood her ground.

"You're teaching me that life isn't fair."


	28. Chapter 28

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Luminara dismissed us from her quarters about twenty five minutes later due to the fact that she and Barriss had a mission they were scheduled to depart for. Anakin and I stepped out of the room and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I think that went quite well."

I rolled my eyes and walked away from him, heading back to our dorm. "Are you seriously going to ignore me?"

"You're an idiot."

"Oh? So now _I'm _the idiot? You cut yourself for two years before I found you!"

"Do you really want to do this right now, _Master?_"

"Let's go."

I spun around and charged him, knocking him into the wall. He retaliated and slammed me to the floor with his mechanical fingers around my neck. "How much of a chance do you think you actually stand against me, Ahsoka?"

I gasped as my air supply began to fade. He pulled his hand away and I threw my legs out, kicking him where he'd been wounded. He cried out in agony, clutching his side before he collapsed onto the floor. "I'm just getting started," I replied, pushing myself off of the floor.

I heard a growl building up inside of him and then he jumped at me. I heard the wall crack a bit behind my head as he slammed me once again. He grabbed my wrists and held them up against the wall. His mechanical fingers were beginning to crush my wrist and he must have known that because he just kept going.

"Show me what you've got," he challenged. He pulled my arm forward with his mechanical hand and shoved his flesh one into my stomach.

Tears built up in my eyes as I fell to the floor. My hand landed on his boot.

"Get up and fight me. I know you want to."

I wound my fingers around his ankle and built up all the Force energy within myself. I pulled his ankle forward and he crashed down onto his back. I threw him against the wall and got up.

I started running as he attempted to push himself up. My boots connected with his shoulders as I bounced back off of him. "Damn it!" he screamed. He got up and pulled his hands back to his chest quickly before throwing them at me.

I flew back several doorways until I crashed against the wall at the very end of the hall. I slid down the wall and hit the floor.

He charged down the hall, stopping a few feet in front of me. "Master, please, stop…" I whispered, barely able to lift my head. My body was aching. I didn't understand why he was acting like this or why he was putting so much force into his actions.

"Why? You seem to be _enjoying _yourself."

"I don't want to fight you."

"You didn't think that way during the conversation with Luminara. All you wanted to do was fight me."

"Not like this, Anakin. I don't want to hurt you and I don't want you to hurt me. Can we just stop? Everything hurts…" I said, my voice pleading with him. I pushed myself up onto my knees and rubbed my left shoulder.

He turned on his heel and began to walk away from me. "Aren't you going to talk to me?"

"_You_ were the one ignoring _me_," he said angrily over his shoulder. "I was trying to talk to you during the conversation with Luminara, but _you _shut me out! How else am I supposed to get your attention? The first thing I wanted to do was beat the hell out of you because you wouldn't let me explain myself to you, but no. You thought '_he's such a kriffing bastard_' and didn't allow me the chance to tell you that I was sorry."

"Are you sorry?" I spat at him.

"That's what I'm trying to tell you! I'm _sorry _for being such a terrible person! I'm sorry that we can't accept each other!" He paused and whispered, "All I'm good for is frakking you. Other than those moments, I _can't _make you happy."

I hated the transition from his angry look to his sad look. His eyes were too beautiful to hold such an immense amount of these emotions.

"Anakin, you're good for a lot of things."

He pulled his hair for a moment before coming over to me. He helped me up and held me against his side. "That's a lie and I'm still resigning as your Master regardless."

"We're better than this," I whispered. "I _love _you with all of my heart, Anakin. You gave me another chance and then you gave up on me. "

"I gave up on myself, Ahsoka. Once I give up on me, it's pretty much over."

"Then try _again._"

"Try what?"

"To believe in yourself and in me."

I started to walk with his help and I almost fell over. He caught me and balanced me beside him. "I'll help you back to your dorm."

"_My _dorm? Anakin, it's _our _dorm."

"I'm not going to be sleeping in it for a while."

I sighed and cleared my thoughts. He relaxed beside me until we got to the dorm. I pulled him inside and pressed his back against the door. I grabbed his hands and held them by his face, intertwining our fingers.

"No more fighting tonight. What we need is some downtime. You need to lie down and _relax._ Go to sleep, Anakin."

His lips trembled and his eyes dulled. "Ahsoka –"

"I'm not going to listen to a word you say unless you lie down and hold me."

I slowly pulled my hands away from his, giving him his moment to decide. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arm around my waist. He led me to his bed and lay down on his side. He cringed a bit, but decided he didn't care about the pain.

He patted the space beside him, wanting me to lay there. I slid onto the bed and cuddled with him. He slid his arm beneath me and pulled me closer. His mechanical fingers rubbed my back.

A single tear trailed down the left side of his face, falling onto his nose. "Say anything you want to," I whispered.

He closed his eyes and more tears formed. "I'm so sorry," he said painfully. "For _everything._"

With my right hand, I stroked his hair and his face. "I can see past the problems. I can see that you're still a sweetheart," I whispered. I leaned forward and kissed his jaw. "I don't care about what we've done in the past. I want _us _to move forward together."

"How can you put up with me?" he whispered.

"Because I love you," I said, laughing lightly. His eyes opened and he raised his left hand to grab my hand that was still on his face. "If I didn't love you, I wouldn't go through this with you. I _want _to help you out of the darkness. I want you to come back into the light and be happy."

"Every time you tell me that you love me, I feel happy," he whispered, smiling weakly.

"You can't leave."

"No, I can't…" he sighed. He closed his eyes and scooted closer to me. I nuzzled my face into the crook of his neck.

"I love you, Anakin."

He wrapped his arms around me tightly. "I love you."

**The next morning.**

I woke up to loud crashing noise. I opened my eyes to the darkness and saw a light shining out from the refresher. I got off of the bed and knocked on the door. "Anakin?"

"Come in," he whispered, his voice strained. The door slid open and he was holding himself over the sink with his mechanical hand on his wound.

"What's wrong?" I asked quickly.

"It hurts."

"Anakin, come with me to the medbay."

"Can you just help me sit down really quick?"

He leaned back and I put my arm around him, placing my left hand on his chest. I helped him lower himself to the floor and stared at his face.

I stood up and grabbed a rag, soaking it with cool water. I knelt down beside him and dabbed at his face, wiping the sweat away. "The pain isn't all that's got you in here."

He leaned his head back against the cupboard beneath the sink. "I wanted to take a shower," he whispered. "I tried to unwrap my wrist and once I did, I felt really sick. I didn't want to look at it and I ended up knocking a bunch of stuff down. I don't even know where the hell most of this stuff came from."

I glanced around at the things he'd knocked over. It was mostly the kits I used to clean my cuts or wounds and such. "I could help you clean up your wrist if you want me to."

I gently took his left hand in my right one. It did look really bad…

"You don't have to," he sighed.

"Get up. Let's take a shower."

He stared at me, his eyes widened a little. "Just a shower," I said. "That's all I want."

We got up and undressed ourselves. I turned the water on and let it heat up a little before I got in. He came in after me and held me against his chest. "I'm still sorry."

"Don't be anymore. We're starting over. Everything's going to work out better."

He lifted his mechanical hand to my montrals and I flinched. "Ow…"

"You've got a few bruises forming…"

"Don't upset yourself."

He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the center of my montrals. "I'm done hurting you. Do you think this… _starting over _thing will work for us?"

"I think it will if we make it work. Anakin, the bruises will go away in a few days. It's nothing I'm –" I stopped once I realized that I was going to say something that would hurt him in the end. "Never mind…"

He sighed and kissed my forehead. "This time I want to love you the right way. I don't want to emotionally or physically hurt you."

"Just be _yourself_ and that's all it'll take. Anakin, our love won't always be wonderful and amazing. We're going to have those days where we just want to kill each other, but we need to pull through and realize that we love each other more than that. We can make it through this if we _trust _each other _and _ourselves."

"I had a nightmare," he whispered while rubbing my rear lek.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Maybe in a little bit, if that's okay with you…"

"Of course," I laughed.

"Right now, I just want to shower with you and enjoy your presence. It's not every day that I'm given this opportunity."

He pulled back to smile at me. I smiled up at him and ran my fingers through his hair. He kissed me every now and then, especially during his turn to wash me. He kissed my left leg, licking one of the white markings that ran across it.

After about thirty minutes, we stepped out of the shower. He handed me a towel and I wrapped it around myself as he wrapped his around his waist. "Ahsoka, you're beautiful on the inside and the outside…"

I smiled as he lightly put his hands on my face and lifted my lips for another kiss. "So are you, Ani."

He pulled back and stared at me. "What?" I asked quickly.

"Why did you call me _Ani?_"

"It was just the first thing that came to mind when I thought about shortening your name. I wasn't sure if that would work for you. You always call me _Ahsoka_, so I thought that maybe I should just stick with _Anakin_, but I wanted to see what you thought…"

"My mother used to call me that…"

"If it hurts you, I won't –"

"No," he laughed. "I love it. I love you. I love you, Soka."

I smiled and stepped forward to hug him. His strong arms wrapped around me tightly and I felt his love. The feeling was extremely strong and I was happy. _He _was happy.


	29. Chapter 29

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

It's been two extremely long months since Anakin and I physically fought each other. It's been small arguments since then and he hasn't hit me like he did the one day.

I sat up on his bed and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. He rubbed my leg slowly, just waking up himself. "Hey…"

I leaned down and kissed his cheek. "Hey, Ani."

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm good. I think that was the best sleep I've gotten in a while," I laughed. "Thank you for letting me go to bed early. I really appreciated it."

"I know you did," he whispered. His eyes were closed and a smile crept across his lips. "And you're welcome. I made sure no one came in to disturb you. Luminara said you two had a session planned though…"

His eyes opened slowly and he looked up at me. "It wasn't a necessary session. I've been going every other day for the last two months. I think I can skip one."

"I've had to go every day. I want to skip, but I know I can't afford to."

"Why do you say that?"

"If I don't talk to you or Luminara, I'll lose it. I felt like I was under pressure – under water even."

I grabbed his left hand and held it tightly. "You tell me _everything _now. I'm glad that you feel comfortable enough to open yourself to me."

"I've been comfortable with you for a while, Soka. I'm just afraid of speaking my mind."

"I just don't want you to continue cutting yourself."

He stared at me in shock, sitting up a little. "I don't know what you're –"

I lifted his shirt and pointed at the scars that were forming. _Scars._ He had at least a dozen across his abs and over his shoulders.

He pulled the shirt down over his skin and hopped off of the bed. "Thanks for wrecking my morning," he muttered.

"Anakin –"

"Nah, save it. I'm going to hop in the shower. Do you want to come with me or do you want me to let you get some more sleep?"

"I'll come in with you."

I climbed off of the bed and skipped over to him. "You're coming in to make sure I don't take a razor to my throat, aren't you?"

I stared at him in horror. I couldn't imagine… well, I actually was now. I didn't _want _to imagine him slitting his throat with a razor.

He put his hands on either side of my face, rubbing my cheeks slowly. "I'm not going to do anything stupid. Just be happy that I'm not cutting deeply."

"I'm not happy that you're cutting at all."

I took his left wrist in my hands and rubbed the scar slowly. "Do you like being full of scars? I mean, I know the one near your eye wasn't your fault, but –"

"It's either this or something worse. You pick."

I bit my lip and stared into his cold eyes. "_Worse?_ What could be worse than self mutilation?"

He shrugged and kissed my jaw. "Let your imagination run wild, my dear."

Again, I stared at him in horror. He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Come on, Soka. We've got a bunch of training to do this morning."

"_More _training?" I whined. "Anakin, don't you think the droids are getting tired of being sliced all the time?"

"I repair 'em for a reason, Snips."

I let the subject go and we walked into the refresher. We stripped and got into the shower. It was much more relaxing because he was still somewhat tired.

We were only in the shower for twenty minutes and we got out quickly. He decided to wrap his towel around his waist and grab one for me, but he didn't hand it to me. He started toweling me dry. "Want me to go get your clothes?"

I laughed and rubbed the left side of his neck. "I've got it. You dry off then get dressed."

He nodded and walked out of the refresher behind me. I quickly dressed myself and sat down on his bed. I pulled my boots on and watched him dress himself. He seemed a little out of it or he just didn't care that he looked like a disaster.

I chuckled and walked over to him, straightening his armor pieces. I set his chest piece on properly before trailing my fingers down his body. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just a little tired."

"How late were you up last night?"

"A while," he sighed. "Obi-Wan had to talk to me in front of the Council. He explained how he'd taken care of the situation with his stolen alcohol and he expressed his apologies to me and you."

"Are you still mad at him?"

"Yes," he replied, grabbing his boots. He pulled them on quickly and stood up.

I ran my fingers through his wet hair, brushing it back behind his ear. "Ani, don't be too upset much longer. Nothing bad –" I bit my lip and stared into his eyes. I couldn't say that nothing bad had happened to us.

His eyes darkened. "I'm tired of that coming up in conversation, Ahsoka. It's almost like you _plan _to remind me."

"I don't!" I pleaded. "I'm trying to forget that it happened."

There was a thud against the door and I jumped. He pulled away from me and went to answer the door. It slid open and several Masters and troopers appeared. "Is something going on?" Anakin asked quickly.

"We need you to come with us _immediately, _sir."

I ran over to him and walked out with them. "What do you think they want?" I whispered into his head.

"_I have no idea. They seem disappointed. Okay, they _are _disappointed._"

I stared up at him, confused.

We entered the Council chambers to see a small holoprojector in Master Windu's hands. Everyone looked disgusted and disappointed. Anakin and I walked to the center of the room and stood still. We both bowed respectfully.

I watched Anakin's face as he stared at Master Windu. "Masters, why were we abruptly brought here?"

"Skywalker, we've just been given information that may jeopardize your military and Jedi status."

I felt his shock. All his composure was gone. "What kind of information?"

A video began on the holoprojector. "_Move him into the center of the room. The surveillance will have the best shot there._"

Anakin's anger flared as he saw himself on the floor and the Twi'leks around him. I could see myself as well. It was different seeing it from this position.

"_Hey, sweetheart, wake up._"

"Turn it off," Anakin growled.

"_Li'ha, would you like to go first –_"

"I said turn the damn thing off!" he screamed.

The projection continued until Anakin pulled the projector into his mechanical hand and smashed it. The evidence was still there, but he destroyed the means of visually witnessing it.

I stood there and stared at him. It hurt to just watch his anger surge. The Masters stared at him like it was his fault.

The troopers behind us had their blasters set to stun. If Anakin did anything, they were to fire on him.

Master Windu spoke. "Skywalker, can you explain your actions? You neglected your Padawan and took advantage of three women. We'll have to check your Padawan again."

His jaw dropped and I could see the tears building. I watched his shocked expression solidify. His teeth and fingers clenched. "You're blaming _that _on me? How was I supposed to know that was going to happen? Nothing happened to Ahsoka! She would have told someone if I did something to her."

"How can we know that for sure? She neglected to tell us about this incident. The owner of one of the girls gave this to us."

"_Did you know it was caught on video?_"

His eyes were locked with Master Windu's, but I felt his anger take a turn towards me. "Yes," I replied after much hesitation.

He closed his eyes and relaxed his mind. "What are the consequences of my actions?"

"That will be determined after your Padawan is given an examination."

He nodded and turned around to leave. I went to follow him, but the troopers stood between us. Master Kenobi put a hand on my shoulder as Master Windu continued to speak. "You're to be contained in your quarters for the time being. Troopers, escort him."

They walked him out of the room.

I turned around to face the Masters. "Has he injured you in any way, young one?"

"No. He's my Master and my closest friend. He'd never do anything to hurt me."

"Tell us what happened on Tatooine. How did _that _happen?"

I bit my lip, hesitating. "He was drugged. He didn't know there were drugs in it. He took a drink from the purple Twi'lek and fell to the floor. When everything happened, he wasn't in his right mind."

"Has he taken drugs before?"

"No," I replied calmly. "I'd tell you to check his system for more since the last insertion, but he detoxified himself. He didn't want the addiction."

"You witnessed him put himself through the detoxification sequence?"

"Yes."

He nodded. "Obi-Wan, Master Plo, take her to the medbay. I would still like to have her checked out. He may have done something while he was under the influence that she wasn't aware of."

"We are in _so _much trouble," I thought to Anakin.

"_No. _I _am in so much trouble. They're going to see that I did something and they're going to blame me for it. You're in the clear as long as you make it appear as though you had no clue._"

"I can't do that."

"_Try. Just start crying. Pretend you're having an emotional breakdown._"

"Anakin –"

"_Soka, you have to._"

Master Plo put his arm around my shoulders and led me out of the Council chambers. We entered the medbay and I lay down on the medical bed.

The droid came towards me and began to run the scan. "Anakin."

"_I'm still here._"

"I'm scared."

"_Don't be. They'll sense it. Nothing's going to happen to you._"

The scanner beeped and the results were in. Master Kenobi went to grab the report. I sat up and watched him. His jaw dropped and his eyes immediately flashed to me. "What?"

"Ahsoka, there are signs of penetration and…"

"And what?" I pressed, leaning forward.

"You're _pregnant._"

"What?" Master Plo shouted. He snatched the paper out of Master Kenobi's hands.

I felt real tears welling up in my own eyes. My hands flew to my stomach. "Anakin. I need you _right now._"

"_I can't leave –_"

"I don't care! Get down here _now!_" I shouted into his thoughts.

I held my head in my hands and started crying.

I heard the door burst open and I heard his boots cross the floor. "Get out!" Master Plo screamed at him.

"Ahsoka, what's going on?" he whispered. His hands were on my shaking shoulders.

"I'm… I'm pregnant…" I trailed off, continuing to cry.

"Oh, stang…"

I lifted my head as his hands were abruptly snatched away from me. I needed him right now. Master Plo's hand was around his neck and Anakin was lifted into the air. "How could you do this to her?" he screamed at him.

Anakin gripped his hand, trying to pry his fingers away. "Plo – I didn't – mean to –"

"Master Plo, let him go!" I pleaded, getting off of the medical bed. They both glanced at me and it took an extra few moments of Anakin's breathless gasping before Master Plo dropped him.

"Master," I whispered, attempting to give the other two the idea that I wasn't romantically engaged with Anakin.

He pushed himself up and put a hand on my shoulder. "Are you all right?" he asked.

I shook my head and started to cry again. He held me against his chest and rubbed my back. "It's going to be okay, Snips," he said out loud. In my head, he said, "_I'm not going to leave you._"


	30. Chapter 30

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Once again, we stood before the Council.

Anakin's composure was deteriorating with each insult thrown at him. Master Plo and Master Windu were _very _disappointed in him to say the least.

They were too busy scolding him and he was too busy shouting back at them to realize that I was still in the room. I burst into tears and Anakin immediately snapped his attention to me.

He grabbed my hand and held it tightly. "We're _all _a bunch of bastards and I know that right now _I _am probably the biggest one, but we _need _to take Ahsoka's feelings into consideration. She's the one that's hurting the most right now. Masters, this incident was _my _responsibility. Because of Ahsoka's advanced abilities, I forgot how young she is. I didn't realize the consequences of my actions."

I stared up at his face and watched him lie to them. He could do it all too easily though. Master Windu's voice boomed back at him. "That may be, but it doesn't excuse what happened. I think she needs some time away."

I wiped my eyes and felt my heart sink. "For… how long?" I asked timidly.

He stared at me. "_Longer _now."

"That's not fair!" I shouted.

He slammed his fist down on his chair and leaned forward. "Life isn't fair, _Padawan._ As you can see, you aren't very lucky."

Anakin's fingers clenched around mine. I was just lucky that it wasn't his mechanical hand holding mine. I turned away from him and he attempted to look at my face.

His fingers relaxed and I looked back at him. Master Yoda spoke. "An attachment to your Padawan, you have formed, yes?"

"Master, I'm going to explain this in the best possible way I can. As Obi-Wan damn well knows, I had a problem with alcohol. What he doesn't know is that I was doing drugs along with that. Two harmful addictions plus a very young female Padawan equal disaster. I wish I'd thought before I did something to her."

"_Cry_," he thought to me.

It wasn't hard to accomplish. I started crying again because my emotions were all over the place.

"Drugs _and _alcohol?" Master Windu asked, his eyes widening. "Padawan, did you know about his condition?"

"_Lie._"

"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "I had no idea."

He sighed and nodded. "Very well then. You are free to live within the temple. Your status as a Padawan and Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic will not be stripped from you, but you will be reassigned to another Master."

I nodded slowly, looking up at Anakin. His eyes were icy as he stared at him. "As for you, Skywalker…"

Anakin tensed up for a moment. "You will be sent to the Citadel."

He let go of me and stepped forward. "Are you kriffing kidding me!" he shouted. His voice echoed throughout the chamber. "You can't do that!"

I was confused and they all knew that. I grabbed his arm. "What's going on?"

"_They're going to separate us and I'm not coming back._"

"What's the Citadel?" I asked aloud.

The room grew quiet as they waited for him to reply. "It's where Jedi are sent when they've… _lost _their way…"

I stared at Master Windu. "You can't send him there! I need him!"

"What you need now, young one, is to rest. Your child could be very Force-sensitive, seeing as though you both are."

"I can't do this without him!" I screamed. Tears blinded my vision and Anakin's warm, gloved hand stroked my right lek.

Master Plo cleared his throat. "I, for one, agree with Master Windu's decision. All in favor…"

A chorus of affirmatives echoed through the hall and Anakin's fate was decided. He was to be sent away from me.

Clones entered the room with Force bindings. "No!" I screamed.

Anakin spun around and attempted to kick the bindings out of the first clone's hands. I was pulled out of the way by Master Kenobi and was forced to watch as Anakin was electrocuted by a device that was held by some scientist.

He cried out in agony and began to writhe around on the floor. "Enough," Windu's voice said loudly. "Take him down to the carbon freezing room."

The scientist stopped and steam rose off of Anakin's limp body as he was dragged across the floor by two clones.

Master Plo came over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry that he's done this to you, Little Soka."

"I _hate _you!" I growled at him. "I _need _him! You sent him to his death, didn't you?"

"Little Soka, you must not feel hatred. What he's done is inexcusable and he must be punished. Why can't you see that? He has violated your innocence."

"I'm sixteen and fighting a war! How is my innocence violated by _sex?_"

I shook my head and ran out of the chambers. I knew where the carbon freezing room was, so I quickly made my way down to it.

I made it just as Anakin was coming to. Master Kenobi came up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder. "He didn't take advantage of you, did he?"

"What if he didn't?"

"I knew he loved you from the start," he whispered, looking down at me. "To be honest, I'm in a relationship as well, young one."

I stared up at him in pure shock. "You?"

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. That's how I picked up on the way you two felt about each other. If you two are together, I will never expose that. Honestly, this shows the extent of his love for you. He's willing to risk everything for you."

"But what about _our _baby? If he's gone, he'll never have the chance to see his child."

I felt his hesitation. "Ahsoka, I don't know how to say this without hurting you any further, but…" he trailed off. "The Council is going to take your child from you once it's born. It will be sent away somewhere that you and Anakin will never be able to trace it."

"But I _want _my baby…"

"Go to him. When you speak to him, tell him that the wine is from Mandalore."

"What does that mean?"

"You needn't worry about that. He'll understand perfectly."

I nodded and ran across the room, skipping around the gaps for carbon freezing. The clones forced him to stand up and bound his wrists with Force bindings. "Let me have a minute with him," I pleaded with the clone.

"We can't do that, sir."

I stared at their helmets. "You _will _let me have a minute with him."

"We… will let you have a minute with him."

They both nodded and walked away, leaving us alone. He stood on a platform that would lower into the pit. "Ani," I whispered, my lips trembling. "Master Kenobi… Master Kenobi said… _the wine is from Mandalore._"

His eyes darted over to Master Kenobi. I saw him mouth something silently before he looked back at me. He raised his bound hands to my face and stroked my cheek lovingly. "Anakin, what does that even mean?"

"That bastard _knew._ He's going to help us, Soka. You need to keep yourself under control and let Obi-Wan do his thing. We'll see each other soon. We'll be together to raise our child…"

I held his hand against my cheek. "I can't do this without you."

"You'll see me in a few days, Ahsoka. When he says _Mandalore is crying_, you make sure that you follow his ass wherever he goes."

"Why?"

"I'll explain everything when I see you again," he whispered. He leaned forward and kissed me quickly. "Ahsoka, I _love _you. Do _not _forget that. We _will _be together again. I promise you."

I nodded as Master Kenobi's hand rested on my shoulder. "The wine?" Anakin asked, raising his eyebrow at him.

"First thing that came to mind."

"You're going to explain a lot of –"

I wrapped my arms around his waist tightly and cried into his tunic. I felt the presences of the other Masters, but I didn't care. I wanted them to know that I loved him. I wanted them to see it.

"_I thought I told you to keep yourself under control. If all goes well, you'll be assigned to Obi-Wan. Now, get off me, Soka._" The last part was meant to come out as a teasing gesture in reference to one of our bedroom moments, but I wasn't in the mood for it right now.

"I love you," I whispered out loud.

"As I love you."

Obi-Wan sighed. "I hate to break this up, but…"

I separated myself from him and he smiled forcibly at me. "Obi-Wan," he called out.

Master Kenobi turned around to look at him. "Take care of them _both _for me."

I looked up at Master Kenobi and he nodded. "I will. Until we meet again, brother."

Anakin nodded and straightened up.

We moved behind him to avoid the blasts of carbon that would come up once it began to freeze him. I looked at the scientist that manned the controls. He didn't seem to care that Anakin's life was going to be frozen in time for a while.

Master Kenobi kept his hand on my shoulder as Anakin looked over his shoulder to smile weakly at us. "_I love you and only you. I'm going to miss you._"

He turned away and began to sink into the pit.

There was a hiss as the freezing procedure began. A mist flew up around where he'd originally been standing.

I put my hand over my mouth and tried to keep myself from crying. Master Plo came over to us and looked at me. "I am sorry, Little Soka. I'm sure he trained you well…"

I wanted to scream at him. He didn't care that Anakin and I were having a child together. All he cared about were the duties of the Jedi. He wanted to let me know that he knew Anakin had trained me well. What the hell did that have to do with me watching his life ice over while carrying his child?

A metallic grapple slid across the ceiling and stopped above the pit, lowering down to grab the wall he'd become.

It pulled him out of the pit. I couldn't feel him inside it, but I knew he was alive. It would probably feel like he'd slept for a few days…

My chest tightened as I watched several droids take the block and carry it out of the room. I looked up at Master Kenobi and he smiled at me.

Master Windu came towards us and looked directly at Master Kenobi. "I trust you can handle this young one?"

"Yes, of course," he said, nodding. "I'll take good care of her."

Master Kenobi led me out of the carbon freezing room and walked beside me all the way back to the quarters I shared with Anakin. "Master, can I still sleep in here?" I whispered, keeping my eyes on the door.

"Of course," he said, patting my rear lek. "In a week's time, Anakin will be unfrozen. Pack everything you value, Ahsoka. Have it ready for our departure."

"Yes, Master."

He began to walk away from me as the door slid open. "Oh, and Ahsoka?"

"Yes?" I asked, looking at him over my shoulder.

"Do be careful. If the Council gets wind of this, we may have a much harder time freeing him. Also, try not to harm yourself. Anakin would kill me if I let anything happen to you in his absence."

"I'll be careful, Master, for both of your sakes."

He nodded and smiled. "There won't be any training sessions until you're feeling up to it. For now, go rest. Relax and do not stress. I need to go make a transmission."

I nodded. "Thank you, Master. I'll see you later."

He turned and walked away. I entered the dorm and ran across the room. I grabbed Anakin's lightsaber and plopped down onto his bed. I held the hilt against my chest, hugging it like a child would hug their favorite toy.

I rubbed the metallic structure of it, imagining Anakin's hand on it. I heard a shuttle take off in the hangar bay and I sighed.

I hoped that Master Kenobi could figure everything out sooner. I wanted Anakin back…


	31. Chapter 31

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

It's been three days since Anakin was frozen. I've locked myself in the dorm, avoiding anyone that tried to talk to me. Luminara stopped coming to see me, knowing that it was a lost cause. Master Kenobi, however, knew that I was fine. He had promised me the chance to be reunited with Anakin. It would just take some time.

From what I understood, we were going to Mandalore. Anakin had muttered something about the Duchess a few times and I was beginning to think that she might be Master Kenobi's partner.

I stared at Anakin's lightsaber in my hands. I haven't set it down once. I've had to keep it with me since he left or I'd go insane.

A loud knock on the door made me jump. "Ahsoka, it's Obi-Wan."

I jumped off of Anakin's bed and ran to the door, unlocking it. "Master," I breathed hopefully.

He smiled warmly and nodded. "Mandalore is crying."

A smile spread across my lips and I nodded, attaching Anakin's lightsaber to my belt. I pulled my own into my hands from across the room.

We crept through the temple. It was the middle of the night, so no one would catch us.

"Anakin told me he'd explain the language you two seem to have created. What does _Mandalore is crying _mean?"

"Mandalore represents love. In this case, you need his love and he needs yours. I need the love of my woman as well as she needs mine. We decided that, should we ever be allowed to love, we'd need something secretive to tell each other the plan. Anakin, being the idiot he is sometimes, thought that perhaps Mandalore was a better symbol because of his speculations."

I nodded thoughtfully, glancing up at him. "No wonder you two are known as the best strategists."

"Well," he laughed. "That's mainly Anakin's doing."

"Master, where is the Citadel located?"

"It's on Lola Sayu. It's in the Outer Rim. We can get there in a matter of hours."

I rubbed my stomach as we walked into the hangar bay. "I miss him."

"I miss him, too, Ahsoka. He's always been there for me and I've always been there for him. I just wish I'd known the extent to which he was hurting…"

"What do you mean?" I asked as we walked up the ramp leading to the shuttle we'd be _borrowing._

He paused to look at me sadly. "Did he tell you about Geonosis?"

"Yes."

"He lost his arm and a close friend on the same day that the war began…"

"I don't think he's over her yet. It's been almost a year. I can't blame him though because I know it'll take time."

"Ahsoka, she's been dead for eleven and a half months. You've known Anakin for eleven months. I'd say he's pretty much over her considering the situation you're both in right now."

"When we were on Geonosis, I made a stupid comment and I could see how hurt he truly was. A part of him still loves her. I don't know if it's healthy for him to love a dead woman, but I'm not going to be the one to tell him to let her go."

"Maybe you're the one he needs to hear it from, Ahsoka. You could demand his focus, especially now that you're carrying his child."

I shrugged. "He'll work it out eventually. The only thing I can do is _support _him."

He nodded and waved me onto the ship. "Let's get going then."

He sat down in the pilot's seat and I sat in the co-pilot's seat. I watched him slowly begin the flight process. Anakin was so much faster when it came to this kind of thing.

I hopped up from my seat and began to speed up the process. Master Kenobi chuckled and smiled. "Like Master, like Padawan."

"Is he still part of the Order? You're in the inner circle of the Council, Master. What do you know?"

"They're not expecting him to be unfrozen for a very long time. He could come out a hundred years from now and still look and feel as young as he is right now."

"Really?"

"Yes, little one."

"Wow, but you didn't answer my first question. Is he still part of the Order?"

"I'm not entirely sure, Ahsoka. If he comes back, he'll just get sent back to the Citadel, arrested, or banned from the temple…"

"He's going to _love _hearing that."

He sighed, shaking his head. He began to fly the ship out of the hangar. I watched the dullness of the city as we flew over it. The traffic was just as crazy as it was during the day.

A few hours passed and the silence hung heavily in the small space of the ship.

I pulled my knees up to my chest and laid my head down on them. "Master Kenobi?"

"Yes, little one?"

"Do you think my baby is going to be a problem when it's born?"

He glanced over at me and looked very unsure. "It's hard to say. Anakin's midichlorians are off the scale and yours aren't too far behind him. You're both _extremely _strong with the Force. I'm curious myself…"

Though it was small, I could feel the lifeform growing inside of me. I could _sense _it. "Well, I can sense its presence already and it's what… two months old?"

"You don't start counting until it's born, Ahsoka."

"Oh."

He smiled. "I believe you'll make a wonderful mother, little one. Anakin will do everything in his power to protect you both, too."

"Thank you, Master. It's really reassuring to hear that. I think I'm young and stupid and sometimes…" I sighed. "Sometimes, I wonder if Anakin thinks of me like that. Do you think he thinks I'm immature and stupid?"

"If he thought you were immature, he wouldn't have fallen in love with you. He wouldn't have done what he did to protect you or to create this lifeform inside of you. If he thought you were stupid, he wouldn't have even bothered with you. You should have seen him with the Gungan population when he was my Padawan. We were sent there shortly after the war began and he was completely frustrated with the lack of intelligence from some of the townsfolk. He's become a much more patient man…"

I looked out of the viewscreen, watching the blue swirls of hyperspace for a minute. "I'm glad he was so patient with me. I drove him to the edge at times, but he kept loving me."

"That's evident…"

I chuckled. "Not like that. We had a lot of arguments about _that_ though. I thought for sure that he was going to leave me after my birthday."

"Why would he do that?"

I rubbed my arm slowly. "I told him that I was afraid of having a child. He got angry with me for saying that, telling me that I should have thought it through before having him make love to me."

"You two did it for the first time on your birthday?" he asked, shocked. I silently nodded and he shook his head. "Quite the romantic you've got there, Ahsoka."

I smiled and closed my eyes. "He's amazing. If you can get past the attitude, over protectiveness, and the troubles from his past, he's the most wonderful man in the galaxy."

"Those are the biggest qualities he possesses. He was afraid to love and to feel after Padme's death. He shut himself off and – without my knowledge – turned to the comfort of drugs. He lost his mother, too…"

"He told me about that. Why does he have to go through so much _pain?_"

I opened my eyes to look at him as he shrugged and frowned. "I don't know why, but it's almost like someone's planned to hurt him. I've never felt him so angry and believe me, there have been times where we didn't agree with each other. Losing two people he cared about almost killed him. Did he ever tell you that?"

"No."

"I probably shouldn't mention this, especially since he told me never to repeat a word he said, but I've already said too much. I might as well just get it out. After Geonosis, he broke down. His emotions consumed him and I feared that he was going to fall to the dark side. He was driven to kill anyone that looked at him wrong. He killed several innocents after running away from the temple for two weeks…"

I felt my jaw drop and my eyes widen. I could _not _picture Anakin as a killer. Well, he was a killing machine, but I just couldn't see him killing _innocents._

"He'll never go through that again."

"Losing you or your child is all it would take. He won't allow that to happen though. He loves you beyond comprehension."

I rubbed my stomach gently. "I just hope he loves this one just as much as he loves me…"

"He will, Ahsoka. Don't worry about that. He's very committed to you."

"Master Kenobi…" I trailed off. "Do you think Anakin will ask me to marry him because of the baby?"

"I'm not entirely sure." He gave me a very curious look. "Are you hoping that he'll ask you to marry him?"

"I've been tossing it around my brain the last few days. Couples that were expecting out of marriage were usually wed months before the baby's arrival. I'm just not sure if Anakin _wants _to marry me. He took me out to dinner and the droid called me his wife. He didn't react very well to that…"

"Ah, don't let it get to you. He's just trying to take things slowly with you. Well, not _too _slowly by the looks of it…"

I bit my lip and leaned my head back, continuing to rub my stomach. "Do you hate him for this?"

"For falling love with you? No. I want him to be happy."

"What about him getting me pregnant? Do you think we were stupid?"

"I'm sure the Council believes he's a complete bastard for that, but I don't share their views. I think that you two are going to come closer and bond further now that you'll be linked by this small lifeform."

I nodded silently. "Get some rest, Ahsoka. We've still got time before we arrive on Lola Sayu."

I drifted off.

**Two hours later.**

"Ahsoka," a voice whispered. "Ahsoka, we're here. Wake up, little one."

I slowly opened my eyes and stared up at Master Kenobi. "Come in with me. We'll have to figure out where he's being held. We may have to persuade the guards to allow us entry though…"

I nodded and rubbed my eyes. I got up and walked behind him.

We entered a very old looking building with brick walls. The entire setting seemed very depressing.

_"What's the Citadel?"_

_"It's where Jedi are sent when they've… __lost __their way…"_

He hadn't lost his way. He was still the Anakin I met eleven months ago.

Master Kenobi walked up to a guard sitting behind a steel desk. "Hello, we're here to pick up a block of carbon."

"Which Jedi?"

"Anakin Skywalker."

The guard flipped through a bunch of papers until he found Anakin's file. "This one _just _arrived a few days ago. Are you sure that's the right one?"

"Absolutely."

"Right this way, Master Kenobi," he whispered, stepping out from behind the desk.

We entered a storage room filled with carbon blocks. My anxiety rose as I scanned through the blocks, trying to find my frozen lover.

Once I found him, I darted over to it. The guard left us to our business.

Anakin's hands were still bound in the carbon and his hands were actually clasped together. His eyes were closed and he looked calm.

I touched the cool covering and traced the outline of his gorgeous face. "I don't know what you did to unfreeze Master Kenobi…" I whispered, laughing. I rubbed my hand over his covered cheek, wishing that I could feel his skin.

Master Kenobi walked up behind me and pressed a button on the panel. Within moments, bright lights began to spark out of the casing. The carbon was dissolving.


	32. Chapter 32

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Master Kenobi and I stood in front of Anakin as the carbon continued to dissolve around him. Once his skin and clothing showed, I prepared myself.

His body gave out and he fell forward, crashing against me. I fell backwards, falling into a sitting position. He was shaking in my arms and drenched in some liquid. "Ani," I whispered, running my fingers through his soaked hair. "Ani, it's me."

"S-soka?" he whispered, attempting to look up at me. I could see that he was temporarily blinded, like Master Kenobi had been. "Y-you okay, S-soka?"

I rubbed his cheek, wiping the liquids away. "I'm better now that I'm with you again. How are you feeling?"

"I wish I could see your face," he sighed. "I can't see a damn thing. Well, I can't really say that. I can see bits and pieces of colors, but they're blurred. It's kind of like the blur from crying, but it doesn't go away when you blink."

He continued to shake as I ran my hand over his shoulder and down his arm. "Are you cold?"

He nodded silently and I looked up at Master Kenobi. He leaned forward and pulled Anakin up, sending him into a panic. "Anakin, it's just me."

I put my hand on his chest to calm him. He heart was beating rapidly even as he sighed. "Sorry. Senses are a bit off."

Master Kenobi chuckled before helping him up. He sliced the binders off of his wrists quickly and got Anakin's arm over his shoulder. I slung his other arm over my shoulder and we helped him walk. He pulled back and almost fell over. "I'm not an invalid just because my sight is off," he said angrily.

I reached out and took his flesh hand, pulling him forward. "We weren't trying to make you feel that way."

He stepped forward, wobbling a little. "Ani, can you just let us help you?"

I watched him straighten up and release my hand, walking ahead of me. "Ani, watch out for the –"

He ran right into the threshold of the door. He held his nose in his hands and closed his eyes. "Wow, that hurt," he whispered.

I put my hand on his shoulder, rubbing it slowly. "I don't want you to hurt yourself."

He lowered his flesh hand and began to reach out for me. I quickly gripped his hand and held it tightly. "I don't need help walking. I just need help with my steering…"

I squeezed his fingers and led him out of the room, being very careful.

Master Kenobi began to persuade the guard to go check on other things within the Citadel. We didn't say that we were here to unfreeze the Jedi stuck in carbon.

"So I take it he's dropping me off on Mandalore?" he asked, his unseeing eyes darting around the scenery. I could tell that he was trying to clear his vision.

"He's not dropping _you _off. He's dropping _us _off."

He stopped and tugged on my hand, pulling me back. "Sweetheart, as much as I'd love to be with you, I think you need to stay at the temple."

"Why? You don't want me anymore?"

His mechanical hand floated around in the air for a moment before it touched my cheek. "Can't see a damn thing, so I hope that's your face."

"It is."

His thumb rubbed my skin. "Soka, I want you more than anything in the galaxy. I just don't think it would be wise for us both to live together again. The Masters might be able to sense us."

"I don't care!" I shouted. "Let them sense us! I want to be with you. I want _us _to raise this baby. I can't do it alone and I will _not _give it up to some stranger!"

Master Kenobi chose the wrong time to walk up to us. Anakin's face grew angry. "I never said we'd give it up. I just meant that we'd wait until you got closer to having it before I brought you somewhere safe. I don't want you to be removed from the Order just because I can't separate myself from you."

"If I go back, they'll take him from us!"

"_Him?_" both men said, sounding shocked.

I bit my lip and looked up at Anakin's eyes. "I just hope it looks like you. I'd love to see a mini you running around…"

He chuckled and squeezed my hand. "I don't care what it is or what it looks like. I just want it to be _healthy _and _alive._"

I tugged him closer to me and put my hand on his side, rubbing it. I leaned my forehead against his chest and smiled. His clothes were beginning to dry a little, but he still shook.

"All right, let's get out of here before the guard comes back…"

I nodded and pulled away from Anakin, leading him towards the ship. I helped him up the ramp and around the corner until we reached the first small section of the ship. This was the storage room and the cockpit was just beyond the door.

"Ani, we didn't bring any extra clothing for you…"

Master Kenobi turned around and smiled. "Actually, _I _brought something for him."

He opened the door to the cockpit with the Force and pulled a pack into his hand. He tossed it over to me and I caught it. I opened it up to see some dark clothing. It wasn't Anakin's normal outfit to wear beneath his armaments. These were like Master Kenobi's clothes, but brown.

"I'll help him get dressed," I whispered. He rolled his eyes, nodding. I waited until he was back in the cockpit and the door slid to a close behind him before I pulled Anakin's face closer to mine.

His cool lips moved with mine. I felt his shaking flesh hand on my hip. I ran my fingers through his semi-wet hair. He pulled away and took a few breathes. "Sorry," he whispered. "I'm too cold to keep that up for a while."

I stroked his cheek and smiled up at him. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Ahsoka. I still wish I could see you…"

"It'll come back in a few hours, sweetheart. Just let me get you out of these clothes, okay?"

He chuckled and smirked at me. I rolled my eyes and set the pack down. I pulled his armaments off of his clothes and set them down. I managed to pull everything off of his body within a minute or two. Everything was pretty much stuck to his skin.

I stared at his chest for a few seconds before he raised an eyebrow. "Everything all right?"

"Of course," I whispered. I ran a few fingers over his wonderfully built chest. "You're so…"

I watched his lower half spring up and he tried to hide it with his mechanical hand. I giggled and grabbed his mechanical hand. "Hey, don't be ashamed because of that."

"It's really inappropriate at this time…"

I moved his hand and stroked his member slowly. He moaned, closing his eyes. He leaned his head back and his lips parted a little, allowing the moan to escape. "Don't do that unless you plan to get slammed against a wall, Soka…"

"Would you?"

"Considering the fact that I'm partially blind, I'd probably frak something up, so let's just wait until later, all right?"

I nodded and let him go. "So you're planning on keeping me with you?"

He sighed and reached out, grabbing my breast. "Stang!" he quickly interjected, sliding his hand down to my waist again. "I didn't mean to do that…"

I laughed a little and put my hand on top of his. He felt nervous and upset. "I'm really sorry. I was going to put my hand on your side and –"

"Hey," I whispered. "Just shut up and kiss me."

He leaned forward and I tilted my head up, standing on my toes to press my lips against his. His arms wound around me, rubbing my rear lek.

After a few moments, we separated. I turned and bent down to grab his outfit. "Okay, Master Skywalker, let's get you dressed."

He sighed and nodded. I helped him get his tunic on straight and fixed the cloth that hung down over his legs. I slid my hands between his legs and received another moan. "You little tease…"

I giggled. "Love you."

"Uh huh," he said, rolling his eyes. He sighed and smiled at me. "Love you, beautiful."

We moved to a corner of the room and sat down. He pulled me into his lap and turned me to face him. He bent his knees and held me in front of them with my legs around his lower back. I could feel his erection on my rear, but he didn't do anything about it.

He reached up and ran his index finger along my jaw line. "So how long was I out?"

"Three days."

He nodded slowly. "How have the last three days been for you?"

I shrugged. "I've been sick."

"Morning sickness?"

I leaned against his chest and nodded. "Yeah, that's what Master Kenobi said when he came into the dorm to check on me. I stayed in there until it was dark, then I went out to get food from the mess. It's not the same without you."

"Okay, wait," he said quickly. "You locked yourself up in the dorm because I wasn't there? That's not what I wanted to hear…"

"Well, I kept your lightsaber, which I have right now…" I trailed off, grabbing the hilt from my belt. "It's a little piece of you, so I pretended it was you when I hugged it."

He stared at me sadly. "I'm sorry that I left you, Ahsoka."

I let go of the saber and put my left hand on his right shoulder. "Don't apologize."

"I'm just hoping that the only thing you did to my lightsaber was hug it."

I laughed and smacked his chest. "I swear that I only hugged it. The other part of my imagination could wait for the _real _you."

He laughed lightly, closing his eyes. "You can stay with me on Mandalore," he whispered. "I don't want you to leave me. I've got separation anxiety now…"

I stared up at his face. "Really?"

"Yeah. I've actually had it for a while…"

"I didn't know that."

He shrugged and opened his eyes. "I didn't think it was a key point to bring up. I just want to let you know that I'm crazy without you."

"You're crazy _with _me, Skyguy."

He groaned and smiled. "I don't know why, but it turns me on when you call me that."

I leaned over his legs and lay down on the cool floor. He slowly and carefully laid himself down in front of me. I grabbed his hand and held it between us. "Anything I do or say turns you on."

"Oh, I'm not sure how true that is," he said, smirking. "Soka, can you… you know, cuddle up with me?"

I smiled and scooted closer to him. He laid his arm out and I rested my head on it. His other arm draped over my body and rubbed my back. I put my hands on his chest and smiled at him. "You know, when you're closer, I can see better."

"Can you see how happy I am right now?"

He pulled his arm back and gently traced over my lips. "Damn, I'm just that good."

I laughed and kissed his fingers. "You're more than good."

He moved his hand down to my stomach and rubbed it slowly and gently. I watched his face while he rubbed me through the fabric. A wide smile crossed his expression and he closed his eyes. I saw a few tears drip down his face.

"Why are you crying?" I whispered, reaching up to wipe the tears away.

"Because I love you and I love this baby."


	33. Chapter 33

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I gently lifted Ahsoka off of my arm. I got up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. It had been a few hours since they got me out of the carbon, but I was still tired as hell.

I walked into the storage area and found two thick blankets. I grabbed them and brought them back to my sleeping beauty. I knelt down beside her and lifted her head a bit. I laid the folded up blanket down and put her head on top of it. I stood and opened the other blanket before covering her up.

Once I was sure she wouldn't freeze, I walked into the cockpit. I grabbed the co-pilot's seat and spun it so I could sit down. Once I sat down, I spun around once again to stare out of the viewscreen. "How are you feeling?"

I gave him a sideways glance. "Better. How long have you known?"

"About what?"

"Ahsoka and me."

"I knew _before _you did. I saw the signs."

I closed my eyes. "Are you going to turn us in?"

"Not unless I want you to turn me in." He laughed when I snapped my eyes open and gave him a very confused look. "I will be joining you on Mandalore. My dear Duchess has missed me."

"I frakking knew it!" I laughed. "You sneaky bastard. Congratulations, you have found love."

He laughed, shaking his head. "I'm going to ask her to marry me someday in the near future."

"That's great," I whispered, smiling. "I'm happy for you both. How long have you been together?"

"Three years, but we've known each other much, much longer."

I nodded and laughed lightly. "So long distance relationships _can _work."

"Do you plan on marrying Ahsoka?" he blurted out.

I stared at him like he'd just said something extremely crazy. "I don't know, Obi-Wan. I don't want her to feel trapped. She's still young and has plenty of time to meet someone better than me."

He gave me a very confusing look, so I decided to press the matter. I leaned forward, completely facing him. "Has she said anything to you about this?"

"She's… _concerned_, Anakin. She's not sure if you _want _to marry her. It seems as though she wants to know that you'll be together forever in a sense. She's also afraid that you won't love the baby as much as you love her."

My jaw dropped. "Okay, I think I want to marry her someday, but that's a definite maybe. It all depends on her and the right timing, I guess. If everything I said and did back there didn't convince her of my love for our child, then I don't know what I'll have to do to convince her…"

The door slid open behind us. I spun the chair and smiled at her. She rubbed her eyes as she walked towards me. I pulled her into my lap and kissed her cheek. "Hey, beautiful," I whispered.

"Hey, Ani," she whispered back. She nuzzled her face into my neck and kissed my skin.

"How are you feeling, Soka?"

"Hungry," she muttered. "How are _you?_"

"We'll be on Mandalore soon, love. I'll buy you as much food as you want to eat. And I'm fine."

I could feel her drifting in and out of sleep. I stroked her left lek gently. "Why'd you get up if you're so sleepy, darling?"

She sighed and lifted her face up a bit, pressing her lips against my jaw line. "I didn't want to be alone."

I moved my hand to her stomach, rubbing it slowly. "You won't be alone for _quite _some time."

"You know what I mean, smart ass…"

I smiled and kissed her forehead. "I just wanted you to get some sleep. I got three days off and you had to suffer greatly throughout those few days."

She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at me. Her azure orbs captivated me almost instantly. She jumped a little and giggled. "Damn it all…" I muttered, looking up at the ceiling.

"Seriously?" she began to laugh. "My _eyes?_"

Obi-Wan gave us a curious look. I looked back at her. "Soka, I love everything about you. Your eyes are just as beautiful as your body."

"By the Force…" Obi-Wan muttered, shaking his head.

She bounced a little as she shifted her position. I moaned and she smiled. "Are you going to tease me again?" I whispered, staring at her face.

She smiled and laid her head against my chest. "Nah…"

The navicomputer began to beep and Obi-Wan took us out of hyperspace. He looked at me and nodded. "We've reached Mandalore."

"So…" I trailed off. "Are we _all _staying with the Duchess?"

Once again, he nodded. "I've arranged for you two to have a shared room quite a distance between Satine and me."

"Awe," I said, putting false hurt into my voice. "You don't want to be around us?"

"I just don't want to hear you two…"

"Soka's the one that screams during sex," I said, laughing.

She pushed herself off of me and laughed as she smacked my shoulder. "Anakin Skywalker!"

I attempted to mock her voice. "Ahsoka Sky –" I stopped myself. We stared into each other's widened eyes. "Soka, I'm so sorry…"

She bit her lip and looked away from me. I closed my eyes and clenched my teeth. "Anakin…" she whispered. "Obi-Wan, did you tell him?"

I opened my eyes and stared at her angry face. "Soka, I _want _to marry you. _Someday _I will. Right now, you shouldn't be trapped by me. I love you with all of my heart and I'm going to love this baby just as much. I'm just not sure if you're going to want to stick around with me in the future. I want you to be available to others if you're not happy with me. I want _you _to be happy."

"You already know that I can't leave you."

"Soka, I wouldn't blame you if you did. I know you don't want to leave me because… you know, but I'd never blame you. If this baby has problems, it's my fault and I _will _take full responsibility for it if you wanted to leave us and go out on your own.

Her hands flew to her stomach and tears began to flood her eyes. "I'd never abandon my baby." She came back to me and I stood to hold her. "I'd never abandon _you _either…"

She pressed her hands against my lower back and the left side of her head against my chest. "I love you more than you think I do…"

I closed my eyes and rested my chin on the dip between her montrals. "I think you love me a lot. You wouldn't be able to put up with me…" I gave her a sad look, to which she didn't see.

She laughed. "I _love _you, Ani."

"Love you, too," I whispered. Obi-Wan passed us, mouthing '_take your time._'

"Okay, let's go in," Ahsoka whispered.

She pulled back and smiled up at me. I lifted her chin and leaned down to kiss her. I felt her hand slip into the folds of my clothing until she found my chest.

Her other hand trailed down my body until she grabbed my member. I moaned into the kiss as her hand slid up and down the shaft.

I felt her nervousness building up, so I grabbed her hand and separated our bodies. "Don't do something you aren't ready for."

"Ani, you've –"

"I'm willing to do anything. I'm more comfortable with you. I'm not expecting you to suck _me _or rub _me _because you're sixteen. You're nervous and young. I don't want to pressure you. I already told you that we could go a lifetime without it. It _doesn't _bother me."

She sighed and grabbed my other hand. "I want to excite you. I want to make you happy. I –"

"Ahsoka Tano," I snapped. "I love you. Your eyes excite me and your smile makes me happy. I don't _need _much more."

I led her off of the ship before she could reply. Obi-Wan and the Duchess were speaking as we came up. "Satine, this is Ahsoka Tano. You've already met Anakin."

"Duchess," Ahsoka greeted, nodding.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, my dear. Any friend of Obi's is a friend of mine. Please, just call me Satine."

Satine held her hand out for me and I quickly moved forward. I held it lightly and kissed the back of her hand. "Duchess," I whispered.

"It's been a while since the two of us have shared a bottle of Mandalorian wine. Shall the four of us begin with that?"

I smiled. "Wine sounds wonderful. Ahsoka's going to need something… ah, _lighter._"

"Oh?" she asked, attempting to dive into our lives. "And why is that?"

Obi-Wan shook his head when I gave him a confused look. "She's slightly –"

"He doesn't want me to drink because I'm pregnant."

The three of us stared at her. She looked between us, finally ending with my eyes. "What?"

Satine looked at me, raising her left eyebrow. "Yours, I assume?"

I nodded and pulled Ahsoka against my side. The protective part of me took over as Satine inspected Ahsoka's exposed stomach. I could see that an extremely small bump had formed, but that was because I knew her body better than anyone.

I felt my jaw tighten. Satine's eyes were full of _accusation _and _disappointment._ "I see."

I really didn't appreciate the way she looked at Soka. "What the hell does that mean?" I spat, growing angry.

"How old is she?"

Ahsoka sidestepped to stand behind me. "She's sixteen."

"Anakin, you're almost twenty-two years old! Did you rape this poor girl?"

"Yes, because I _love _taking advantage of little girls," I said, rolling my eyes. "Why the frak would you ask _me _something like that?"

"Padme –"

"_Padme what?_" I snapped. I felt my heart beating rapidly, but it didn't matter to me. I wasn't going to allow her to criticize the relationship Ahsoka and I had _or _bring up my past relationship.

"Ani, stop yelling," Ahsoka pleaded, tugging on my tunic.

"Some men – _especially _drug addicts – aren't cut out to be lovers."

"Oh, you son of a bitch!" I shouted. "I love Ahsoka with every piece of my heart! You're frakking _heartless _if you can't see that! I'm not some bastard that has fun knocking up children! I'm not even on drugs anymore! I gave that up for _her!_"

I heard quiet sobs behind me. I quickly spun around and hugged her. Satine sighed in frustration.

"Satine, come inside. Leave them alone," Obi-Wan whispered. He tugged on her arm until she willingly walked away with him.

Once they were gone, Ahsoka's small amount of control snapped. I bent my knees a little to hold her tightly. Her arms wound around my waist. "I hate… when you yell…" she said through her sobs. "It… it hurts me…"

I shushed her and kissed her left lek. "I hate the accusing eyes. This baby is a _blessing _not a curse. I don't want that mother –"

"Stop," she whispered.

I sighed and squeezed her. "I'll _try _to control my anger, love. I'm sorry."

She sighed and lifted her head to look up at me. "Why are you changing yourself for me?"

"I don't want to lose you," I whispered. "You're my everything and I want you to live happily. That's why I didn't try to cover up the fact that this baby is _mine._ I want you and I want my son or daughter."

She smiled lovingly at me. "You're amazing."

"Of course I am, but that's because of you."

I swept her up into my arms, carrying her bridal style into the building.

A guard led us to our room and I plopped her down onto the bed. She smiled and closed her eyes. I lay down beside her and stared at her face. "Love you."

She turned over to cuddle up against me. "I love you, Ani."

She smiled before I closed my eyes. "Anakin, are we going to have the baby here?"

"If you want to."

"Do you?"

"I don't care _where _it's born. I just want to be there with you."

She rolled onto me and pressed her lips against mine. I lifted my hands to hold the back of her head and left lek. Her legs straddled me and she thrust her tongue into my mouth.

Just as I started to slip her tube top up her body, she pulled away and jumped off of the bed. She ran into the refresher and I scrambled to follow her.

She was on her knees, heading hovering above the toilet. "Morning sickness?" I asked. I put my hand on her rear lek and wrapped my other arm around her waist.

She answered my question as she released the contents of her stomach into the bowl.

After a few minutes, she leaned back and collapsed against my chest. She looked _very _pale and worn out. I leaned back and she positioned herself to sit between my legs. She rested her hand on my thigh and smiled weakly. "Go back to the bed. I'll be there in a minute."

I kissed her left montral. "This is my baby, too. I'll suffer just as you do."

"I feel really sick, but I want you to make love to me, Anakin. It's been too long for me…"

"We have plenty of time for that later. Just relax. You need some rest…"

"Ani –"

"I love you and you know that. I want you to calm down and recuperate. When you feel better, I promise that I won't hold back." Her stomach growled and we both chuckled. "This first."

I helped her up and led her back into the bedroom.

She walked to the bed and lay down. I leaned over her shoulder to kiss the side of her mouth. "I'll go find you something to eat. What do you want?"

"I'll eat anything," she muttered. "Find something for yourself, love. I bet you're hungry…"

I rubbed her side and kissed her lek. "I'll be right back."

She nodded. "I'll miss you…"

As soon as I turned around, she grabbed my wrist. "Hey…" she whispered. "_Behave._"

I sighed and smiled. "Only because you asked me to."

She giggled and let me go. "And _now _I'll be right back."

"Hurry your sexy ass up," she laughed.

"Yes, sir!" I teased, running out of the room as she launched a pillow at the door.


	34. Chapter 34

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Another two months passed by in the blink of an eye. I had very little to no morning sickness now, which meant that I felt a lot better than I had before. I opened my eyes to see Anakin's peaceful face beside mine. His lips were parted, allowing his warm breath to blow into my face, and his eyelids fluttered with the images in his dreams.

I pulled the blanket around my body and sighed. I stared at his face as a smile spread across his lips. His blue eyes slowly opened and he sighed in happiness. He looked up at me and whispered, "Good morning, beautiful."

"Do you know what today is?" I whispered excitedly. I grabbed his hand and held it tightly, smiling uncontrollably.

"Today is the day that you'll let me sleep in until tomorrow morning."

I leaned closer and kissed him for a moment. He didn't like it when I pulled away to talk to him again. "If I did that, you'd miss out on all the special and fun events that I have planned for you."

"If you just lay with me, my day will be perfect. I don't want anything because I've got all the special and fun I need. I just want to hold you in my arms all day. Will you be my gift?" The last part was said with a teasing tone, but I knew he wasn't lying. He didn't want anything but me.

Regardless, Obi-Wan took me into town to buy him a few things. I knew what he liked for the most part and he was extremely exhausted the night we went out. It was one of those nights where he exercised himself into exhaustion and nearly passed out in the shower afterwards.

"Time to get up, birthday man."

He groaned as I tugged on his arms. "Soka," he whined. "I don't want to get up…"

"If I said I would let you frak me all night long, would you get up?" I asked, moving to lie down on his smooth, bare chest. It was a little awkward with my large stomach between us. He had learned to hold me slightly above him so we wouldn't hurt the baby.

"You're going to do that anyway," he laughed.

"Says _who?_"

He smiled widely. "Says that cute little smile of yours."

I rubbed my nose against his and took his lower lip between both of my lips. "We'll see, Skywalker," I whispered, giggling. I rolled off of him and got off of the bed.

"Damn," he muttered from the bed. I heard him whistle and I turned around. His flesh fingers were touching his lip gently as if he were trying to feel my lips again.

"What?"

"Stay like this today. Don't even get dressed."

I rolled my eyes. "If it were just the two of us, I might consider it. Satine doesn't like me as it is. Maybe I'll do this for you when we come back later on tonight, sweetheart."

I walked over to my dresser and pulled a drawer open. I heard the bed move as he got up. Within moments, I felt his arms circle the area just below my breasts. He kissed my lek. "She doesn't have to like you. I fill that void. So what's your game plan for the day, dare I ask?"

"You'll see," I whispered over my shoulder, smiling at him. I looked up into his eyes. "What should I wear today?"

He poked his head around mine and scanned through the drawer, searching for something he liked to see on me. "Blue looks nice on you."

I smiled. "Blue it is then."

"Can we shower first?"

I rubbed his flesh hand as his mechanical hand began to play with my nipple. I moaned and leaned my head back against his body. "Take me…" I whispered.

His laugh made my heart skip a beat. He pulled me into his arms gently, setting me down on the shower floor before turning the faucet on. Luckily, we didn't have to undress ourselves, so he just got in with me immediately.

I grabbed his member and began to rub it, moving my hand up and down the shaft nervously. This was the first time I'd actually felt the skin of it.

He parted his lips, allowing a moan to escape. "Soka… Soka… stop…"

"Why? I know you like it."

"You're… you're nervous."

"It's your birthday, Ani."

He grunted as I quickened my pace. His breaths came out in quick pants. "Sweet… sweetheart, you can stop…" he said between each pant.

I knelt down slowly, keeping my hand in motion. I licked the tip of his shaft and grew excited immediately. I loved to feel his wave of excitement as well. I began to lick around the tip, watching his face.

His eyes were closed and his smile full of pleasure played on his lips. He licked them and began to moan, whispering my name every few moments.

I smiled and opened my mouth as wide as I possibly could. I attempted to take his full length in the first try and didn't do a terrible job at it. He gently, but firmly grabbed my montrals. The tip of _him _slammed into the back of my throat. I licked his skin and moaned as I moved my mouth up and down the shaft. Every part of him seemed to taste wonderful.

He abruptly pulled out of my mouth and pulled me into a standing position. "I want to do it again," I whispered, staring into his eyes.

He smiled weakly, grabbing my hand. "Don't worry about that right now. I'm good, love."

I pushed him against the wall, holding his hands above his head. "It may be your birthday, but _I'm _in charge today, sexy man."

He chuckled. "A little feisty today, aren't we?"

I leaned forward and kissed his chest. I held his wrists tighter, thinking that it wouldn't hurt him.

He hissed this time and I realized that the sound had been that of a painful one. I released his wrists and he immediately held the flesh one against his chest. "What's wrong?" I asked, concerned.

I gently touched his arm, wanting to see what had hurt him. He sighed and moved his mechanical hand away from the flesh one. I saw that he'd cut himself deeper, almost slicing open one of his veins. "What the hell, Anakin?"

He pulled away from me and slid down the shower wall. It was pretty easy considering the fact that it was wet. He bent his knees and held his head in his hands. I knelt down in front of him, rubbing his arm. "I'm sorry, Ani."

I saw his shoulders rise and fall quickly, like he was crying. I moved to sit beside him, not caring that the water was pouring against our faces. I buried my face into his neck and kissed his skin. I held his flesh hand tightly, being careful around the wrist.

He lifted his head when I did. He gave me a very sad look and I almost wanted to cry. "Why are you sorry?"

"Because I hurt you. Why are you still doing this to yourself? You could die if you cut your vein open!"

He leaned against my right lek, closing his eyes. "I cut myself in the dark. I didn't want to wake you up. I missed what I was initially going for and I thought I was going to die. I panicked… I panicked and tried to clean all the blood up, hoping that you'd stay asleep…"

"Do you want to die?"

"No," he said. I believe him because of the tone he used. "I've got a lot to live for."

"Don't cut yourself then, Anakin. I don't want to lose you. I need you and so will this baby…"

He smiled a little, his lips trembling as he did so. He moved his mechanical hand to my stomach and rubbed it gently. "I want to see my baby," he whispered.

I put my hand on his cheek and leaned down to kiss him. "I love you, Anakin."

"I love you, too. I love you more than you know," he whispered.

I gasped when I felt something inside of my stomach. Anakin immediately snapped to attention, straightening up. "What's wrong?"

I rubbed my stomach and felt another jolt hit my hand. "The baby is kicking me," I whispered, smiling up at him.

I grabbed his flesh hand and held it against my stomach. I felt the baby moving around and I wasn't sure if he could or not. The baby kicked again, directly below his hand. I looked up at him and wanted to cry.

He looked overjoyed and felt excited. He couldn't stop staring at my stomach until I laughed and wiped my eyes. "Why are you crying?"

"I love to see you this way about the baby."

"I told you it's a blessing. As much as I honestly thought I'd never want children, I want to have this one more than ever. I want to hold it and talk to it…"

I pulled his face closer to mine and kissed him again. "Ani, I think you're going to make a good daddy."

He chuckled. "I hope so."

He helped me up and began to wash my body. Once he was finished washing me, the warm water began to fade. "Are you going to stay in?"

He shrugged. "I'll just wash myself quickly before the freezing cold water takes over. You go get dressed and I'll be out in a minute."

He kissed my cheek and helped me out of the shower. I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my body. I made sure there was another one ready for him.

I walked out into the bedroom and began to dry myself off. I slipped my bra and underwear on quickly. I pulled the blue shirt Anakin had picked out for me on. I attempted to search through the drawer for some loose fitting pants and I couldn't find very much of anything.

He bought me a bunch of maternity clothes, but where did they all go?

The door slid open and he walked out, a towel around his waist. "Everything okay?"

"I can't find any pants."

"Maybe I don't want you to wear any," he chuckled. He came to stand beside me and quickly looked through the drawers. "Do you want to wear my pants?"

I smiled at him. "Sure."

He walked over to his dresser and pulled out some baggy gray pants. "These look okay? I'm not entirely sure if they'll –"

"Those are perfect."

He nodded and handed them to me. I slipped them on quickly and watched him pull his underwear on. I laughed lightly when I saw that his erection was still very present.

He pulled some black pants out of his drawer and slipped them on. I walked up behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist. "Anakin, can I ask you something?"

"Of course," he replied quickly, looking over his shoulder. "What's on your mind?"

"Why are you cutting yourself so deeply?" I whispered, looking up at him.

He sighed and turned around to face me. "I don't know. When I start cutting myself, it's pretty light. I don't realize that I'm frakking up my wrist until afterwards because that's when the pain settles in. I don't understand _why _I'm doing it, but I _like _how it feels…" he sighed again. "I sound crazy, don't I?"

"I know what you mean. Ani, I've been in your position. I know how it feels to want the pain, but I know how it feels to want the pain to go away, too. If you're going to keep doing this to yourself, can you please be careful? You know I want you to stop, but I don't know what to do…"

He rubbed my collar bone gently. "You're afraid that I'll start drinking a lot more and doing drugs again, aren't you?"

I bit my lip and nodded. He pulled my head against his chest and began to stroke my right lek slowly. "I'll be careful, Soka. I promise you that much. I'm not suicidal. I honestly don't trust myself to stay away from the temptations."

I rubbed the muscles on his back and closed my eyes, listening to his normal heartbeat.

I loved to hear his heart like this. It was so pure, so… _alive._


	35. Chapter 35

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Anakin's hands were on my hips and my arms were around his neck. Beautiful music played in the background as we slowly rocked in a circle. I smiled up at him and he smiled back.

"Soka, you're wonderful." He laughed lightly, becoming a little nervous. "You're _perfect._"

"You're my handsome man of perfection," I whispered. I leaned against his chest and closed my eyes as he rested his hand on my rear lek. "I love you."

He sighed and kissed the tip of my left montral. "I love you." I smiled as he began to hum. The baby kicked again and Anakin must have felt it against his stomach. He lowered his hands to my stomach, rubbing it gently.

A loud, quick knock killed the moment. He groaned and let me go, walking towards the door. It slid open and Obi-Wan appeared. "Happy birthday, Anakin."

Anakin's immediate response was, "What's wrong?"

Obi-Wan, not wasting any time, sighed and gave Anakin one of his '_I knew you'd figure that out_' looks. "The Council knows you're out of the carbon. They're still a bit confused as to how, but they don't think you're with Ahsoka. They believe she has no idea where the Citadel is."

"Do they know she's with you?"

I felt Anakin's concern. "No, they don't. I told them that she ran away. They think I'm out looking for her now."

"For _two months?_" he asked, sounding incredulous.

"They told me to do everything I could to bring her back." I looked up at Anakin nervously as Obi-Wan said that. Anakin gave him a very confused look, silently asking Obi-Wan to continue. "They… _want _your child. They think it is going to be _extremely _powerful because of you both."

My hands flew to my stomach as the baby kicked again. I felt Anakin's anger burst. "You tell those mother frakkers that they'll take my child over my _cold, dead body,_" he growled.

I put my hand on his back, rubbing him slowly. "Calm down," I whispered, pleading. "It's your birthday. There's nothing to worry about today."

He sighed and Obi-Wan stared at him sadly. He gave me an apologetic look and I shrugged. "How long will it take for them to figure things out?" Anakin asked, rubbing his temples.

"We may have to shift planets every few weeks or so."

"All right, we need to –"

"_Enough!_" I snapped, balling my hands into fists at my sides. Both men stared at me in shock, not expecting this kind of reaction from me. I stared into Anakin's eyes, making sure he looked directly back at me. "_No _worrying today. Today _is _special despite what you think."

He looked at Obi-Wan. "You heard her. _No worrying today._"

Both men nodded at each other and Anakin pulled me against him. I gave Obi-Wan a look and he stumbled over his words a little. "Why don't you two join us in the dining hall? Satine's servants are preparing breakfast."

Ani rubbed my stomach, smiling weakly at me. "I bet you're hungry, so let's go."

I smiled as he took my hand and led me out of the room. We followed Obi-Wan through countless corridors. Anakin must have realized that something was planned for him. He became really tense, clutching my hand tighter than before.

We entered the dining hall and he immediately froze in the doorway. Decorations were all over the room. I watched his face as he eyes slowly roamed over the room, taking in everything. He looked _upset._ Obi-Wan walked over to Satine, giving her a light kiss on the cheek.

I put my hand on Anakin's chest. "What's wrong, Ani?"

"I feel like a failure," he muttered. "You went to the birthday extreme for me. I didn't do a damn thing to make your –"

"Don't even go there, Anakin. _You _brought my sexual fantasy to life on my birthday and gave me an amazing experience. You _made love _to me. No gift or decoration could have made the day better."

He smiled weakly, rubbing my jaw lightly. "Love you."

"I know you do," I laughed. "But you're going to hate me when you see what's under the blanket." I nodded at a table with a blanket covering the items.

"You didn't."

I saw the disappointment on his face. "Yes, I did, Anakin. It's your birthday and I want to make it special."

He sighed deeply and stared at me sadly. "Soka, you know how I feel about gifts –"

"If you want me to be your gift later, you'd better suck it up."

The sad look was immediately replaced with a cocked eyebrow and smirk. "Oh, I'll suck it up all right."

He licked his lips and stared at me hungrily. I rolled my eyes and tilted my head up towards him. He quickly intercepted my lips. Our tongues danced in his mouth for a few moments.

We separated for breath, gasping as we smiled at each other. I put my left index finger in my mouth for a second, licking it. I watched his eyes beam at me. He gently grabbed my hand and pulled it towards his mouth. He took my finger in his mouth and licked around it, moaning.

I giggled as he opened his mouth and slowly pulled my finger out. "Can you put your finger in my mouth?" I whispered.

He chuckled and grabbed his lightsaber hilt. "Try this first. It's bigger."

I rolled my eyes. "I will definitely – Satine."

He turned around and looked at Satine. She held a small box wrapped in elegant, blue paper.

He gave her a very guarded look as she held the box out towards him. "Happy birthday, Anakin. I would like to make amends for all of the stress I've put on you since you've arrived. I assumed that you didn't love her because I thought you were still hung up on Padme, but I can see that you've moved on. You'd do anything for this young girl and you deserve to have each other. I'm sorry for hurting either of you."

I watched Anakin's cold eyes soften up a little. He sighed and leaned forward, pulling Satine into a hug. Over the last two months, we'd all become a little less formal with each other. "Thank you, Satine," he whispered, rubbing her back.

He pulled himself away from her and she put the box into his hand.

He slowly pulled the top off to reveal a small book. He pulled it out and stared at the cover page, his jaw dropping. "How did you find this?" he asked, staring at her with widened eyes. "The last time I tried to get this, it was –"

"Being the Duchess of Mandalore has its advantages, my dear," she interrupted, smiling at him. "Happy birthday, Anakin."

He smiled and threw his arms around her for another hug. "Thank you."

Once he pulled away from her, I gave him a curious look. He handed me the book and I read over it. _Lost Yet Found _was the title of the book. "It's about a man that lost his way after his family was murdered. He goes through hell until he finds someone that's able to love him for the psychotic bastard he is. It was a book my mother read to me when I was little."

I smiled at him as he wrapped his arm around me, putting his hand on my stomach. "That sounds like it fits you, Ani."

He sighed and leaned his head against my montrals. "Yep," he chuckled. "I'm a psychotic bastard that found someone wonderful."

"I didn't say you were psychotic. You're just a bastard sometimes."

He straightened himself, staring at me. "Hey! I don't even want to hear that!" he laughed. I smacked his chest and blew a kiss to him.

"Hey, come here," Obi-Wan called out from the other side of the room. He was holding a decent sized box.

"Obi-Wan…"

"I don't want to hear it. Get over here."

Ani sighed and dragged his feet until he reached Obi-Wan. "All right, Satine didn't know I bought you this, nor did your lovely Ahsoka."

The two of us watched the men in confusion. Satine and I shared a look before glancing back at them. Obi-Wan handed the box to Anakin and Anakin lifted the top off. He burst into laughter, throwing his head back a little. He set the box down on the dinner table and pulled out a golden bra with jewels dangling down from it. There was a matching bikini bottom with similar jewels hanging down from it.

I stood there in silence, watching his smile widen. "_You're my biggest gift. He must've known that._"

I rolled my eyes at him. "If you honestly expect me to wear that –"

"_You will wear it. You said today is special. It won't be special unless I see you in this._"

I hadn't realized that he was standing in front of me now. He kissed the side of my mouth. "Love you, sweetheart."

"Uh huh," I laughed. He held the bra in front of my breasts and raised his eyebrow. "Stang," he whispered. "I haven't even seen you in this and I _want _you…"

I glanced down to see his pants having a difficult time hiding the erection. I laughed and shook my head. "Go put that down before you lose every last bit of control you possess…"

He rolled his eyes and turned back to Obi-Wan, putting the pieces of clothing back into the box. I heard Anakin whisper, "Thank you _so _much."

Satine walked over to Obi-Wan and tapped his shoulder. "I _cannot _believe you bought that for him!"

"I can," I mumbled. Anakin looked over his shoulder and smirked, giving me an air kiss. I giggled and held my hand out towards him. He quickly moved to take my hand, holding it tightly.

"Well, you've gotten your gifts from Satine and… Obi-Wan…" I trailed off. "I guess it's time for me to give you something."

"Love, you don't –"

I pressed my fingers against his lips. "Shh," I giggled. "Just follow me."

He rolled his eyes slowly before staring into mine. "_Whatever you say, darling._"

I pulled my fingers away from his face and led him to the table to unveil the items. He stared at me angrily as several gifts appeared. "Ahsoka Sherasti Tano!" he snapped.

I almost burst into laughter at the look on his face. It was kind of funny how he used my middle name as well. _That_ was a first. "Anakin Cade Skywalker!" I returned, smirking at him.

He put his face in his hand and sighed. "Why, dare I ask, would you buy this much for me?"

"Because I love you and it wasn't just from me. Some of this came from the other two as well," I said, eyeing the couple in the corner of the room.

I reached out to grab a tiny box. He stared at it and sighed again. "Soka…"

"Ani, just open it."

He closed his eyes and held out his hand. "_You're going to get it later, my love._"

I smiled as he opened his eyes and opened the box. He pulled out two silver rings and raised an eyebrow. "Soka?"

"They aren't what you think they are," I said quickly. I grabbed his hand and slipped one of the rings onto his ring – not wedding ring – finger. Two overlapping, silver hearts were engraved on the outside of the band and the words _Together Forever _were engraved on the inside of it.

He took my ring and looked at it for a few moments before smiling. "This is beautiful," he whispered. He took my hand and slipped it onto the same finger. He tapped my index finger on my left hand and said, "This finger is saved for a very, very special occasion."

I smiled up at him as he leaned closer to me. I tilted my head up and took his lips against mine. "Don't get too excited over the rings. There's more awaiting you…" I chuckled.

He sighed and rubbed my stomach gently. "Yeah, wonderful."

I giggled as he moved back to the table to begin unwrapping the remaining gifts. I saw him eyeing the clothes that Obi-Wan had given him for me and I knew that that would be the first thing he'd want once we got back to the bedroom.


	36. Chapter 36

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I groaned and rolled over on the bed. It was dark out now. I reached out to touch Ahsoka, but she wasn't lying beside me. I lurched into an upright position and quickly scanned the room. "Ahsoka?"

I got off of the bed, pulling my lightsaber into my hand, and ran into the hallway. "Soka?" I whispered.

My head was pounding and I wasn't sure if it was from the drinks Satine had shared with me earlier or from the amount of worry right now. I couldn't hear anything. I couldn't _feel _anything either.

I slowly crept through the halls until I heard a loud crashing sound. I spun around only to receive a swift kick to the stomach. I fell to my knees, gasping.

"Anakin?"

I sighed and closed my eyes. "Don't you ever take those boots off?"

He helped me up. "Sorry. I didn't think it was you. I can't see or feel anything."

"Nor can I. Obi-Wan, is Satine safe?"

"Yes. I just left the room. I thought I heard something going on out here, so I came to check it out. As it appears, I couldn't find the source, but I did find you. Is Ahsoka all right?"

"I'm not sure."

I heard a scream. _Ahsoka's scream._ I held my lightsaber tighter in my hand as we raced through the hall. I ignited my blade so we'd have _some _light to use. Obi-Wan ignited his own, adding an extra amount of blue to the corridors.

I heard another ignition and a green light flooded out of a room. I put the Force into my step as the emerald light began to move with red light behind it. I darted into the room and immediately leapt across the room.

I slammed my blade onto her attacker and Obi-Wan was right beside me. She backed up and deactivated her saber.

"I should have known you were here!"

"Ventress," I growled. She kicked out Obi-Wan's leg, rendering him useless for the moment.

She back flipped away from me and I quickly pursued her, slashing my saber to collide with hers. "Anakin!"

Ventress pressed down on my blade, forcing me to my knees. "She's not alone!"

I looked over my shoulder. Lightning crashed against my back and I cried out. I ground my teeth and let go of my saber. I heard it clatter against the floor as I crashed down onto my knees for the second time.

I heard Ahsoka struggling behind me. Ventress must have gotten to her.

I groaned in agony for a few moments longer before spinning around, taking the lightning to the chest. I threw my mechanical hand out and began to clench my fingers. I was attempting to take Ventress out before the lightning killed me.

My throat tightened and I couldn't breathe. Dooku was using the Force to choke me like I was on Ventress.

Dark clouds began to fill my vision and I still had no ability to breathe. "Anakin!"

My eyes rolled back into my head and I was lost to the darkness.

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

**Six hours later.**

I kept crying out for Anakin. Dooku and Ventress had knocked all three of us out and had taken us to some laboratory of some sort.

I was alone in a dark room and I was strapped to some table. My baby kicked and I felt tears brimming in my eyes. I knew that the Council wanted me back because of my child, but what if the Separatists wanted it as well?

I wondered how they had even learned about it. Anakin and I had disappeared for months.

A bright light flashed above me and I turned my head away, blinking quickly. I heard low, robotic chuckling and then cool fingers ran over my stomach. "I hear that you're going to have a powerful lifeform within a few months," the monotonous voice laughed at me. "Well, you won't have to wait _months _for its arrival. You'll be able to hold your child within minutes."

"No!" I screamed. "You can't do that! I don't want you to hurt my baby!"

The fingers stroked my cheek. "Relax, girl. Your baby will be born now as it would in a nine month period. I have learned to quicken the pregnancy of young women."

Tears fell down my face, trickling onto the sides of my montrals. "I want my baby right where it is," I growled.

The fingers left my cheek and a needle pricked my skin. I felt something running through my bloodstream and I screamed. I screamed as a sharp pain hit my stomach.

It felt like my baby was growing quickly inside of me. My stomach was stretching further and further until it felt like it had been nine months time.

"And now the time has come for your precious child to be born."

My pants and underwear were pulled off and I closed my eyes as I felt contractions. "Anakin," I whispered into my head. "Anakin!" I couldn't help the scream that I let loose within my own mind.

"_Ahsoka? What's… what's going on?_"

"The baby…" I screamed again.

I felt his fury through our bond and then I felt his pain. As the pain increased, his anger rose above it.

I screamed as the person in the room whispered, "I can see its head."

Within minutes, I felt the cool fingers press against my opening and I felt my baby moving. I instinctively began to push, crying out a little as I did so. I didn't want to let my baby go, but I had to. It couldn't survive much longer inside of me with the size it had become.

After a few more pushes, I heard the baby's screams. More tears flowed down my face. "It's a girl," the monotonous voice said, shocked.

"Anakin…" His pain stopped for a moment and I feared the worst. "Anakin!"

"_I'm… still… here…_" he gasped. "_What's wrong with the baby?_"

I watched as the man held my child and walked out of the room with it. I screamed, "No!"

I began to thrash about, wanting to break the binds on my wrists and ankles. "_What's going on?_" he shouted at me.

"He… took the baby…" I gasped. "My baby!"

The next few minutes consisted of my crying, Anakin's nonstop string of profanities, and his constant pain.

"_I'm coming for you._"

"No, don't. Get the baby!"

"_Damn it! I'm coming for you! _We _will rescue our child!_"

I had no idea how he'd gotten himself out of whatever had held him, but he'd gone through a lot of pain.

Minutes later, the door was pulled out of its hinges and into the hallway. I closed my eyes as I felt Anakin's mechanical hand snap the binders off of my ankles. He moved up to my wrists and did the same thing.

He helped me sit up and I cried against his chest. His arms wrapped tightly around me and his forehead pressed against the center of my montrals. His mechanical hand held my face against his chest.

I felt his sadness, but he was controlling it better. My body was shaking and I didn't want him to let me go. I rubbed his arm and he lifted his head. "Get my clothes," I whispered, wiping my eyes.

He nodded and quickly bent to grab them. He slid them onto me and helped me off of the table. My lower area was in pain, but I wanted to save my baby. My _daughter._

"It's a girl?"

I nodded silently, sniffling. He lifted me into his arms and ran out of the room. We were met up by Obi-Wan outside of the laboratory.

I felt his eyes on my stomach and I saw his face full of shock. "I can't feel that bastard," Anakin growled. "He's gone…"

Anakin set me down and Obi-Wan quickly helped me stand up. Anakin moved to the edge of the stairway and put his hands on the side of his head, pulling at his hair. "Force damn it!" he screamed.

Obi-Wan held me in a friendly manner, rubbing my back. I watched in horror as Anakin fell to his knees and slammed his flesh hand against the concrete. I heard the sickening snap of his knuckles and I cringed against Obi-Wan.

I gently pushed myself off of Obi-Wan and stumbled as I walked over to Anakin. I fell to my knees beside him and put my hand on his back.

Obi-Wan's presence became further away. I assumed he was going to go search for a ship of some sort so we could get out of here.

I leaned against Anakin and he straightened himself up, pulling me against his side. I saw tears streaking his cheeks as he stared at me. His lips quivered and his body shook violently.

"I can't do this anymore," he whispered. "I couldn't protect you. I couldn't protect our daughter. What the frak do I have to live for if I can't protect the ones I love the most?"

His injured hand rested on my flattened stomach. "I hate… I hate what they did to you…"

I couldn't speak because my throat wouldn't let me. I threw myself at him and he held me tightly. I cried into his neck and he silently cried as well.

A large wind blew around us and we looked in the direction of a landing ship. A small ship landed a short distance away from us and the ramp lowered to reveal Obi-Wan.

Anakin helped me up and attempted to carry me again. His hand didn't let him and neither did I. I limped slightly until we reached the ship, then I crashed onto the floor against a wall. He sat beside me and wrapped his arm around me, being very aware of his hand.

Obi-Wan gave us a very sad, apologetic look before heading into the cockpit. He began to fly the ship.

I stared up at Anakin. His face was contorted in pure agony and his eyes were closed. I saw what he wished he could do to himself right now and I didn't want that. "Stop it," I pleaded. "I can't lose you, too."

He opened his eyes and looked down at me. "What are we even going to call her? We didn't think of any names."

I held his arm as I scooted closer to him. "We don't have to decide on anything specific right now. I want to do something with our names though."

"Why our names?"

"Well, I, for one, want your name to be in hers…"

"I don't."

"Why?"

"Because it'll be a reminder that I'm just a failure…"

"We're using your name and that's that. Now you just figure out some names that could work around that."

He sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. "Anika. Anisoka. Ahso'kin. Anaso," he whispered. "I don't know. That's all I've got right now. I'm still upset with myself, so I'd like it much better if we just used something in reference to your name, like Ahsoke or something."

He looked down at me and I kissed his shoulder. "Those are all pretty names."

"Well, we can only have one for it." He made a funny face. "_Her._"

I reached up and stroked his cheek. "It'll take some getting used to. We weren't supposed to have her for another five months…"

"I couldn't be there with you…" he said sadly. "I mean, I heard you screaming and I saw what you saw, but I wasn't _there. _I wasn't there to comfort you and tell you that everything would be okay. I didn't get to hold your hand or her…"

"Don't worry. Once we get her back, you can hold her all you want and you can always hold my hand…"

"It won't be the same," he whispered fiercely. "I wanted to be there when she was born. I wanted to tell you that everything would be just fine and I wanted to… I wanted to be there with you both because it was something I _looked forward_ to…"

"I know it won't make you feel any better, but I didn't get to hold her either. He told me that she was a girl and then he left. I didn't get to touch her or even see her face."

"I just want her back and I want her now."


	37. Chapter 37

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Several nights passed. Every time I fell asleep, Anakin would leave the bedroom.

We'd gone back to Mandalore and he couldn't handle being in the same room with me for a long time. It hurt him to see my flattened stomach again because our daughter wasn't here with us. Obi-Wan was attempting to trace the ship that the man had used to escape in, but so far there was nothing.

I rolled onto my side and rubbed the sheets where Anakin was supposed to be. Once again, he'd left the room. There were no notes as to where he'd gone, but I knew he went down to the medical wing. His knuckles were fractured and he went back to get pain relievers every now and then.

They weren't constantly being consumed, so it wasn't like he was becoming addicted again. He wasn't going to overdose this time.

I got off of the bed and pulled his robe around me. I wasn't too cold since I was still in my clothes. He hasn't even had sex with me. It was extremely depressing because, when we were just about to do it, he stopped and rolled away from me.

I could understand that he didn't want me to get pregnant again, but I didn't think it would be that easy for it to happen so quickly. He doesn't understand that the more he resists and runs away from me, the more he's pushing me away from him. I want to help him and I want to get him through this, but he just won't let me.

I walked out into the hallway and walked across the cool floor until I reached the medical wing. I felt his presence in the room and I stood outside of the door. I wasn't sure if going in would irritate him or not.

I sighed and closed my eyes, wishing that things were different. I still wish that my baby was inside of me because then I would _know _it was safe.

The door hissed as it slid open. I opened my eyes to see Anakin's sleepy form towering over me. "Are you okay?" he whispered.

I shook my head and he pulled me against him. "I want you to go to bed with me, Ani. I'm tired of sleeping alone…"

"Ahsoka –"

I pushed him back gently. "Listen to me and listen very well," I threatened. "I know you're hurting and I'm really sorry for that. I hate to see you so down, Ani. What you don't see is that _I'm _hurting, too. I lost the little lifeform that was growing inside of me. She was born and she was _alive._ I didn't get to see her or feel her. I gave birth to her! She was my baby, too, and I was just as unable to save her as you were!"

"I know you're hurting. I can _feel _it," he whispered. "I just can't look at you without knowing that I failed you both. I should have been able to stop Ventress. If I had been able to take her down –"

"The same damn thing would have happened!" I snapped. "Dooku overpowered you _and _Obi-Wan! There was nothing that could have been done differently! Stop blaming yourself for this!"

He closed his eyes and pulled me against him again. This time it felt like a loving embrace and I appreciated it. "I'm sorry."

I rubbed his sides slowly, roaming behind him until I rubbed his back. "It's okay," I whispered. "I love you, Ani. I know I haven't said it very much, but I love you so much."

"I love you."

I pulled back slowly, staring up into his dull, blue eyes. "Come back to bed with me. I want you to hold me like you did before this happened."

He nodded slowly and I led him away from the medical wing. He looked and felt exhausted. There were dark shadows beneath his eyes and he looked _unhealthy. _He never ate at dinner and I never saw him really eat anything at any other time…

I _did_ know that he was drinking a little more. I saw the bottles and such under the bed. He didn't want me to worry about him, but how could I not? I assumed that it was only a matter of time before he started smashing up the pain relievers and began to snort them again…

We walked into the bedroom and I led him towards the bed. He crawled across it with me and threw himself up to the pillows, turning on his side to look at me.

I lay down in front of him and smiled weakly. He cautiously moved his hand forward and rubbed my stomach very slowly. I watched tears fall down his face as he closed his eyes. "Don't hurt yourself," I whispered, grabbing his hand gently.

The hand he used was the one that was fractured and wrapped up tightly. "I'm sorry that I'm being such an ass, Ahsoka. It's not fair to you. I know you're disappointed with me for everything that's been going on. I just don't know if we can have sex any time soon. The last time I tried to, I just remembered that sex made our daughter…"

"Don't apologize for that because I understand your reasons. I just want you to apologize for leaving me when I fell asleep. I want you to lay off on the drinking, too. I know you're hiding them under the bed."

He reached around me and pulled me closer to him, kissing the center of my Akul-tooth headdress. "I'm sorry for leaving you during the night."

I closed my eyes as he began to hum. "I love you so much, Ahsoka," he whispered.

"I know you do. We're just having a hard time going back to the way things were before."

A knock echoed through our barren room. Anakin sighed and I got up. I felt his eyes on my back as I walked over to the door. I opened it up and Obi-Wan appeared. "Obi-Wan, it's the middle of the –"

"I know and I apologize. The Council knows that I'm with you. They want to speak to you."

"I really don't think that's such a good idea right now," I whispered. "I just got him back in here. I can't leave him now."

I didn't think Anakin had heard me, but he did. He got up off of the bed and grabbed my hand with his mechanical one. "Let's not delay them, shall we? It's not like we have anything to give them."

I stared at him with widened eyes. Just moments ago he was the heartbroken man that was crying as he touched my stomach. Now he was the normal Anakin.

Obi-Wan stared at him with the same expression. "Why don't you go lie –"

"I'm not letting Ahsoka out of my sight," he growled.

My eyes met Obi-Wan's and I silently told him to listen to him. I mouthed that I would explain things to him later. He nodded and the three of us entered a communications room.

Masters Yoda and Windu were blue holograms on the table, awaiting our arrival.

I was the first to appear to them and Anakin came into view seconds after me. The shocked faces of the two Masters raised Anakin's anger. Obi-Wan put a hand on his shoulder and quietly told him to relax.

"_Padawan Tano, has he hurt you in anyway?_"

"No," I said quickly. Anakin crossed his arms over his chest and growled lowly.

"_Ahsoka, pregnant, you are not?_"

I shook my head and looked up at Anakin. "We could tell them that the baby didn't make it. Maybe they'd stop searching for her," I whispered into his thoughts.

His eyes widened as he looked down at me. "_Do you really want to do that?_"

I nodded to him and turned back to the holograms. "The baby… didn't make it…"

Both Masters looked devastated. "_Was there a reason?_" Master Windu asked.

"The doctors weren't sure why it happened. It just _did._"

"_Hm, disturbing, this is…_" Yoda whispered. He glanced over at Anakin. "_Speak with young Skywalker alone, I must._"

"Me?" Anakin blurted. "I don't want to say a Force damn thing to either of you bastards. If it weren't for you, Ahsoka might have had a chance. How the frak does that make you feel?"

I put my hand on his chest and stared up at him, pleading him to calm down. His heart was racing beneath my hand.

"_You arrogant, little son of a bitch_," Master Windu said quickly, insulting him. "_I knew from the beginning that you would be a problem._"

Anakin laughed darkly, beginning to shake. "_I'm _the problem? Go frak yourself!" he shouted.

Obi-Wan grabbed me and tugged me out of the room. "Obi-Wan! Let me go!"

He shook his head. "Let him handle this. I know he's really upset, but he needs to get it out or he'll go crazy. He hates them for this. If they hadn't sent him away, you and I wouldn't have gone after him, and none of this would have happened."

I stared at him. Everything he said kind of made sense. If they hadn't put him in a carbon block, we would have stayed together on Coruscant.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I truly appreciated the fact that Obi-Wan took Ahsoka out of the room. He understood that I needed to take my anger out on them. He and I had discussed the whole thing the other night. He told me that I had a right to go off on them if they contacted us again.

"_Apologize for your loss, I do, Skywalker. Change what has happened, we cannot._"

"Yeah, I know. My child was taken from me because of you selfish –"

"_You're the one that went behind the Order's backs. You somehow managed to keep your Padawan's trust. You did everything the Jedi are _not _supposed to do!_"

"And look at me. Am I a Sith? No, but I'm damn near close. You better watch your backs because, if I become a Sith, you two are the first I'm going to come after."

"_Enough, this is_," Yoda said, attempting to settle us both down.

Windu and I glared at each other through the holograms. I wanted to run him through _so _bad right now.

I turned off the projector as Windu attempted to chew me out again. Just as I turned it off, another transmission came through. Curious, I hit the button and waited for the contact to appear.

I stared at the projector in shock. "What the hell?" I shouted.

The image that appeared before me was something I never expected to see in my lifetime. If I'd gone crazy, this would explain everything perfectly, but I'd taken a mental scan of myself. Everything seemed fine in my mind, though my body was in terrible shape.

This image made me want to kill Windu in such a slow, painful fashion. All of my anger and hurt washed over me, consuming me.

"How are you right in front of me? You're supposed to be _dead!_"

She smiled lovingly at me, lowering her eyes. "_I know that's what you thought. I had to make it convincing, Anakin. I'm sorry if I've hurt you –_"

"Hurt me?" I laughed. "More like _destroyed _me. What do you mean by '_I had to make it convincing_'?"

She laughed lightly. "_It's all part of the plan, my love._"

"You have _no _right to call me that," I growled.

"_Why? Have you found someone else?_" Before I could respond, she made a face. "_Oh, that's right. You _did. _Would you like to know how I know?_"

I gave her a very confused look, not getting the meaning behind her words like I used to. "_I know because I have your daughter._"

"You lying bitch," I whispered. "You don't have my child because I have no child."

"_Oh, really? You mean to say that you don't have a child with your apprentice? I thought your little Togruta-human baby would look adorable and I wasn't disappointed._"

She looked away from the projector and held her arms out. I heard the cries of a baby and I realized that _this _was my daughter. The cries sounded similar to those of the cries that had sounded through the room when she was born.

"What do you want with her?" I whispered fiercely. At least I knew she was still alive. The Separatists hadn't planned to kill her, obviously.

"_You'll find out soon enough, my dear. I know where you are, so I'll come to you in a few days to… _talk_ about the fate of your daughter._"

She smiled again and disappeared, severing the connection. I held myself above the projector. How could she pull off such an act like she did? You can't fake death very well with _real _blood and skin like that.

I'd felt her cool skin and seen her blood oozing from her body.

One thing was certain and it wasn't a good thing.

_Padme was alive._


	38. Chapter 38

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Anakin burst out of the room, making me jump a little. "Obi-Wan, I need to talk to you _now._"

The look of anger on his face really scared me. He looked extremely pale as well. "Ani, what's wrong? What did they say?"

"Hang on. I need to talk to Obi-Wan, love."

He and Obi-Wan walked back into the room, leaving me alone. I sighed in frustration. What could he possibly have to say that didn't include me? I could only assume that he didn't want to hurt me or something, but that wouldn't make sense. He looked like he was going to be sick…

Within minutes, both men emerged and Obi-Wan had a similar look.

He walked away from us quickly. I watched him in confusion for a moment before turning towards Anakin. I raised my eye marking above my left eye and crossed my arms over my chest. He was still looking in the direction Obi-Wan had taken off in. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"What happened?"

"Sweetheart, it's nothing to worry –"

"Don't even try to pull that on me, Anakin. What's wrong? You look terrible right now. I feel your anger and your nervousness. Are they coming after us?"

He laughed darkly, shaking his head. "No, this is _far _worse than the Council coming after us."

I sighed and put my hands on his hips. "Can you just tell me already? What is going on?"

"Okay, you remember how I told you Padme died on Geonosis a little over a year ago, right?"

I nodded and raised my eye markings again. "Apparently, I'm a kriffing idiot. She _just _contacted me via hologram. I _saw _her. She –"

My heart sank and I looked away from him for a moment. I didn't think he realized it, but he did. He put his hand on my cheek and gently turned my face back to him. "Hey, I'm not leaving you for her. This was some sick trick that she pulled on me and I've moved on. I know I'm a little upset about the whole situation right now, but I'd never leave you. You're going to hate what she's done though."

I held his hand and leaned into it. I could hear the gears whirring in his mechanical hand as I did so. "What'd she do? Other than hurt you…"

He sighed and looked directly into my eyes. "She has our daughter."

"What?" I shouted, straightening up. "Why would she want her?"

He put his hands on my shoulders. "Listen, I don't know the specifics or anything. I just know that she has her. She showed me the baby. I _know _it's our daughter. Padme said she's going to come here. She knows where _we _are and she wants to talk to me about something…"

My lips began to tremble as tears formed in my eyes. He held me against him and ran his hand down my rear lek slowly. "Why would she do this? She made me give birth to a child that wasn't supposed to be born for another five months…" I trailed off, sobbing uncontrollably. "I don't understand."

"Shh," he whispered, kissing my montrals. "I don't understand either. I wish I could answer your questions, but I can't."

"I hate her."

"So do I. I'm going to make the bitch pay for this, so don't you worry about that."

"What are you going to do?"

"As soon as I see the baby, I'm going to kill Padme. I don't think she's a Force user, so I'll have no problem."

"You didn't think she was dead either."

He pulled away from me and I realized my mistake. "Are you kriffing kidding me?" he whispered angrily. "You're seriously going to play that card on me? You know what, how about you go back to bed and leave me alone for a little while. It's bad enough that she's back. I don't need you saying stupid things like that to make me feel worse."

"I didn't mean –"

He held up his hand and looked away from me. "Just go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ani, don't –"

"If you don't go _right now_, I'm not going to speak to you for a while."

He started walking away from me as tears began to overwhelm me again. "Ani," I whispered, my voice shaking. I ran after him and he turned around at the perfect moment. I threw my arms around his waist and hugged him against me tightly. "I-I'm s-s-sorry. I d-don't want to h-hurt y-y-you."

"What the hell does it matter anyway? It's not like I'm ever going to be whole again. My life is just crumbling piece by piece every damn day."

It hurt to not feel his arms around me. I wanted him to hold me and tell me that I was being horrible to him. I didn't want him to give in like he was right now.

"I'm not going to hold you after what you said to me, so just go to bed."

"I-I want y-you t-to c-come back with m-me."

"_No_," he whispered, pushing me away from him.

He turned around and walked away again. I grabbed his injured hand by accident and he growled in pain. I pulled my hand back and stared at him in horror, fearing the next reaction I'd receive from him.

Instead of facing his wrath, he stood there and tensed a little. I could feel his anger. All he did was tilt his head back a little and breathe slowly. He balled his hands into fists and stormed away from me.

I backed up and ran to the bedroom. I was blinded by tears, but I knew my way around here much better. The door hissed as it opened and I burst through, running directly to the bed.

I threw myself at it and cried into the pillows.

I don't know how long I cried, but I cried myself to sleep…

**The next morning.**

I woke up and stretched my arms and legs. The bright light was shining through the window and it aggravated me. I didn't want to see the light right now…

I heard soft snores beside me and I glanced down quickly. Anakin's bare back was showing above the blanket. His arms were holding the pillow as he slept. I breathed a sigh of relief, holding my montrals in my hands. If he'd come back to bed, he wasn't _too _upset with me.

He exhaled as he moved a little. I watched him run his fingers through his hair for a moment before his eyes slowly began to open. I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Hi."

He still lay in the exact same position, but he stared up at me. "How'd you sleep?"

"Fine. You?"

"Is this how we're going to talk to each other today?"

I shrugged. "I don't know."

He propped himself up on his elbow and rubbed my leg. "I know I was a jerk last night. I spent some time thinking. I'm sorry for the dumb things I said to you."

Again, I shrugged. "Whatever you say."

"Why are you acting like this?"

"Like what? _Uncaring?_"

"Yes, exactly. You were in tears last night."

"That was last night. This is today."

"Ahsoka –"

"Why did you even come back to bed? I thought you'd just go to sleep on a couch or something."

He lay back down and buried his face into the pillows. "Answer me."

"Just forget it," he mumbled, his voice muffled. "I'm not even going to try right now."

I sighed and threw myself back onto the pillows, turning away from him. I felt his fingers trace patterns on my back and I closed my eyes. "I came back to you because I love you."

"You have an odd way of showing it sometimes."

"I know."

I rolled over and opened my eyes. He gave me a half smile. I scooted closer to him and lightly kissed his jaw. "I guess I can forgive you if you've forgiven me."

"I forgave you last night. I came in a few minutes after you fell asleep. I gave you a kiss and laid down beside you."

"Did you wait for me to fall asleep?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I didn't want to come in while you were upset. I didn't want to start a fight with you."

"I just wish you would have come in. I wanted you in here."

He leaned forward and kissed me gently and passionately. His hand rested on my hip and mine was on his shoulder. Once we separated, he quickly pecked my lips one last time. "I _am _truly sorry for what I said to you last night. I was just a little…" He must have seen the look I was giving him. "Okay _a lot._ I was really upset. I didn't want to find out that Padme was back. I just wanted her to be dead and that would be the end of it. It hurt even more to find out that she has our baby…"

"Okay, we really need a name for her. We can't keep calling her 'baby' or 'her' or 'she' all the time."

He chuckled, kissing my nose. "Well, have you thought of a name you liked?"

I thought back to the few names he'd thrown out. The name Ahso'kin had a nice feel to it. "Ahso'kin?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "That was purely thought of out of randomness."

"Well, I like it."

He rolled his eyes. "Ahso'kin it is then."

I ran my fingers over his lips, tracing the curves of his smile. My stomach growled and ruined the moment. He chuckled and rubbed my stomach. "Let's go get some breakfast. I'm sure the other two are up already."

I nodded and we both sat up. He rolled over me, throwing himself over my side of the bed. I giggled as he extended his arm towards me. I took his hand and he pulled me up into his arms. He quickly kissed me before tracing over the white markings on my left cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

We walked out into the hallway and down to the dining hall. He'd been right, Obi-Wan and Satine were already awake. He was reading something on the holopad and Satine was drinking tea.

They both looked up upon our entrance. "Good morning," Satine greeted.

"Morning," we both responded.

Obi-Wan got up and walked over to us. "Is everything all right?" he whispered.

Anakin nodded. "Everything's fine." He put his arm around my shoulders and squeezed.

"I heard the fight, so I thought…"

"Everything's fine," Anakin repeated. "We talked a little about it this morning and…"

"And what?"

"We thought of a name for the baby."

"Oh?" he asked, smiling. "What did you two decide to name her?"

I smiled up at Anakin and whispered, "Ahso'kin."

"That sounds like a wonderful combination of names. My little niece, Ahso'kin."

I felt Anakin jump a little and I grew concerned. "What's wrong?" I whispered into his thoughts.

"_Nothing._"

"Tell me."

"_Later, love._"

"No. Right now."

"_Padme._"

"Is everything all right?" Obi-Wan asked, looking quickly between the two of us.

I didn't answer because I wasn't entirely sure. Anakin wasn't saying too much, but if Padme were here, then it couldn't be that good.

"Padme's on Manda – agh!" He closed his eyes and gripped his head, falling to his knees screaming.

Obi-Wan and I knelt down beside him worriedly. "Anakin, what's going on?"

He looked like he was about to rip his hair out. He opened his eyes – now full of tears – and looked directly at me with a crazed expression. "Get her out of my head!" he screamed.

"How? Ani, I don't know how to do it!"

He lowered his face and groaned, shaking. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't see or hear his thoughts, so that made this a bit more complicated. He gasped and fell onto his side.

I lurched forward and put my hands on his body. "Ani, what happened?"

"She… she's here. She wants me now or she'll kill Ahso'kin."

My eyes widened. "Did she tell you where to go?"

"Yes," he said quickly. "She wants me alone."


	39. Chapter 39

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

Ahsoka pleaded with me for fifteen minutes before finally giving in and agreeing with me. She would watch me from a distance beside Obi-Wan once I reached the area I was supposed to be in.

Right now, I was waiting for the time to pass. I sat in the bedroom with Ahsoka. She was staring at me and I was slumped forward.

"You could make this a lot easier on yourself if you just talked to me."

"We just finished arguing about the situation, darling. How about we try to stop fighting now?" I asked, giving her a sideways glance.

She sighed, frustrated, and fell back onto the mattress. I smirked and ran my mechanical hand over her bare leg. She giggled and sat up. I tilted my head back over my shoulder to intercept her lips. "Anakin."

"Yes?"

"I don't want to upset you, but when do you think we can make love again? I know you're really against it right now because of the whole situation at hand, but –"

"I'm not sure how long I can resist you, Ahsoka," I whispered. "You're just too attractive and beautiful and –"

She moved to stand in front of me. "Stop talking," she whispered, smiling as her face drew closer to mine.

I closed my eyes and kissed her as passionately as I could. She began to pull back a little and licked my lips. I smiled at her. "Once everything settles down, I'll consider it."

She rolled her eyes. "If we don't have sex, then at least let me please you."

She got down on her knees and put her right hand between my legs, feeling the hard spot. "Already?" she asked, looking up at me.

"It's always there when I'm with you."

"Can I?"

"Ahsoka, I really don't think –"

She waved her hand in front of my face in a mocking manner. "You _will _let me do this."

I chuckled and replied, "I will let you do this."

She giggled and leaned her head against my leg, smiling up at me. "I wish that worked on you. You're too strong and intelligent…"

I leaned back onto the mattress and she stood up a little. She rubbed _me _again and I moaned a little. "Anakin, can I do it?"

"It's so weird to see you so eager, but okay," I replied, propping myself up on my elbows.

She rolled her eyes again and began to undo my pants, dragging them down my legs a little. As she grabbed the hem of my underwear, a knock hit the door.

"Damn it," she whispered, glaring at the door.

I chuckled and pushed myself off of the bed, fixing my pants. "I promise I'll let you do it the next time you want to."

She took my mechanical hand and walked with me to the door. Obi-Wan stood there, giving me a sickly look. "You okay?"

He shook his head. "I'm concerned."

"About what?"

"_You_," he said, emphasizing the single word. "You've clearly moved on from all of the hurt in the last year, but you thought she was dead. Now that she's here, I'm worried about the things she's going to do to you psychologically."

"Don't worry about me," I whispered. "I'll just fantasize while I'm talking to her."

Ahsoka's attention snapped up to my face and she had a _very _hurt look. Once I glanced down at her, I rolled my eyes and smiled. "About _you_, not her."

Obi-Wan sighed and put his face in his palm. "By the Force, must you two always talk about this?"

"We don't _always _talk about _sex_," I chuckled. "Anyway, I don't give a damn about Padme anymore. Sure, I grieved when she '_died_,' but now that I know it was all a lie, I'm severely angered. I'd rather kill her than fall in love with her again."

"Just be careful, all right?"

"I'm not a little boy anymore, Obi-Wan. I think I can take care of myself."

He shook his head and walked away from the room. "It's time to go, too," he called back over his shoulder.

"You thought I'd fantasize about _her?_"

She bit her lip and lowered her gaze to the floor. I gently lifted her chin with my finger. "You're the only one for me. You'll always be the one for me. I'm saying that because I'm in love with you. You're the first person to ever return my love and it feels _wonderful. _I can't imagine myself with anyone else, Soka. You're beautiful, smart, brave –"

"You're sounding repetitive."

"Oh," I said quickly, a little surprised. "And I thought I sounded romantic."

"Just kiss me, jerk."

I chuckled and pulled her face closer to mine, kissing her slowly. She put her hands on my sides and gently squeezed.

"Love you," I whispered, opening my eyes slowly. She opened them at the same pace and smiled widely.

She threw her arms around me tightly. "I love you, Anakin."

Within minutes, we left Satine's palace and began to walk into the plaza.

I gave Ahsoka one last kiss before allowing her to run off with Obi-Wan. I pulled a hood up over my head and began to walk through a large crowd.

I recognized no one, so that was a good thing for the moment. I found myself hoping that she wouldn't be here because I _desperately _wanted to kill her.

I sat down on the designated bench for our meeting and whispered privately to Ahsoka, "Switching the comlink on."

We both had a feeling that Padme would disrupt our bond like she had earlier, so we thought that comlinks might be a better choice. I grabbed my left hand like it was in pain. In reality, it _was _in pain. It was still fractured, but I used that to my advantage. I turned the comlink on.

A few minutes later, a cool hand touched my cheek. I looked up to see Padme's shrouded face. I knew her lips though, so I knew it was her. "Hello, dearest," she whispered seductively.

"Where the hell is my daughter?" I growled. "You said you'd bring her if I came."

"You'll see her," she laughed. "_In time._"

"Now," I said, my anger rising.

"You aren't in any position to make demands, Anakin."

"I'll do anything to get my daughter back," I whispered fiercely, meaning what I said.

"Would you come back with me?"

"Where?" I pressed, attempting to get her to talk. I wanted Ahsoka and Obi-Wan to hear her answer as well, but it felt like everything she was saying was a little too… _easy._

She lifted my sleeve and bared her teeth at me. "This is a conversation for your ears only. Hello, Ahsoka Tano. I hope you can prove yourself a very worthy Togrutan warrior. If you interfere with the business Anakin and I are working out, I will not hesitate to kill your child. You'd better be ready to save her."

I stared at her in horror. "Soka, _stand down._"

"_Anakin, I –_"

"For me," I pleaded, closing my eyes.

After a few moments of silence, I heard her sigh. "_I love you._"

"How touching." I opened my eyes to look up at her. She lowered her hood and rolled her eyes before snatching the comlink. "Good-bye, bitch."

I stood up as the comlink crumbled in her grip. "Don't you dare insult her. _You're _the bitch."

"If you keep talking like that, I'll have her killed as well. I know exactly where she is and I know that Obi-Wan is with her. You wouldn't want me to kill her before you had the chance to raise your child – oh, wait. If you talk like that again, I'll just kill them both. My associates have your daughter and my assassins have your girlfriend and Obi-Wan in sight. Don't tempt me to use them, Ani."

"What do you want?"

"I think it would be better if I showed you," she whispered. She pressed her index finger against my forehead and my eyes rolled back into my head as images began to overwhelm my sights.

I saw Ahsoka dancing in a very seductive outfit, chains shaking around her limbs as she moved. Obi-Wan and I were sitting side by side, appearing to be drunk. I could tell that it was true because several glasses were emptied around us and we were staring up at Ahsoka like she was a ticket for a one night stand.

She looked absolutely miserable.

The next image appeared and I saw her getting electrowhipped by an unseen figure. Once again, she looked miserable. Tears streaked her cheeks as she received lashing after lashing. I wondered where the hell I was. Why was I allowing this to happen to her?

A third image appeared and I saw myself getting hit with electrowhips. There were several attached to my body and I was being electrocuted by every one of them. I attempted to fight despite the pain I was going through, but it appeared as though I would fail. I fell to my knees and crashed forward onto my chest.

There was darkness and then fire appeared and a demonic face took up the center of the fire. It screeched loudly and flew towards me, baring its sharp teeth.

My eyes snapped open and I gasped. "What the hell was all of that?"

"Your future if you don't do as I ask."

I thought back to the images I'd seen of Ahsoka. That wasn't fair to her. Then again, nothing I ever did was fair to her…

"What are you asking of me?"

"You are to come back with me and become the apprentice of my Sith acquaintance. You are to let go of everything you feel now, for the love will only destroy you. If you ever want your daughter back, you'll do this."

"You must know…" I trailed off, shaking my head. "I will _never _become a Sith willingly."

"I thought you might say that." I watched her curiously. She lifted her wrist and hit a button on a comlink that had been hidden within her sleeve as well.

"Jon'ye, proceed with your part."

"What are you doing?" I asked quickly.

I felt an immense amount of pain – not from myself, but from someone else.

I heard screams and the sounds of pulsing electricity over her comlink. "Ahsoka!" I screamed.

"Enough," Padme laughed into the comlink. I heard Ahsoka's panting over the com and her groans. I attempted to reach out to her through our bond, but nothing happened. "What do you say now, Anakin?"

"Don't hurt her," I whispered.

"Again," she commanded into the comlink. Once again, the electricity began to pulse, Ahsoka began to scream, and I felt her pain.

"Stop! Stop hurting her!"

"Enough."

I heard Ahsoka's body fall to the concrete and her panting quicken. "_Ani…_" she whispered.

"I'll do as you ask," I said quickly. "Just… don't hurt her anymore…"

She laughed darkly. "I was hoping you'd agree to my request." She pulled her comlink up to her face again. "Jon'ye, put the girl somewhere safe and release the Jedi near her. He'll take care of her as you make your escape."

"_Yes, milady._"

She disconnected the connection and smiled at me. "You'll make a wonderful Sith Lord."

"_Bitch_," I sneered.

"Oh, hang on, let me contact Jon'ye again. I'm sure he'd love to torment your precious, little Togruta."

I clenched my teeth and glared at her. "If you want her to survive, you'd better watch your tongue, dear."

As much as I hated her and wanted to kill her, I couldn't hurt Ahsoka like that. I nodded quickly and diverted my attention elsewhere. I was attempting to feel out Ahsoka, but there was _nothing._ I couldn't feel Obi-Wan either.

Padme grabbed my chin and forced me to look at her. "There are some things you didn't know about me, Anakin."

"I know _enough_."

"I'm partially a Force-user, but, in reality, I'm going to be your worst nightmare."


	40. Chapter 40

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

Padme took me to her ship. I felt a bit nervous, seeing as though I had no allies here. Ahsoka and Obi-Wan were hopefully somewhere safe, if not back in the palace already.

I grabbed Padme's arm and several blasters were aimed at me. "Padme, I want to see my daughter."

"You will."

"No, I want to see her _now._ Imagine how you would feel if you had a child and it was taken from you."

"I did!" she exclaimed, spinning around to smack my hand away. "I did, Anakin," she whispered, calming down. "I had a child and he was taken from me right after I gave birth to him. I carried him for the entire duration and he was taken from me…"

"Who was its father?"

"Not you," she laughed. "It was before we had our _thing._"

"You never told me about this. Padme, you know I would have done everything in my power to help you rescue your son."

"Would you have done it if I told you his name was Luke Clovis?"

"_Clovis? _As in Senator Clovis?" I asked, shocked.

She nodded slowly, lowering her gaze. "Clovis was my first love. I fell in love with him, knowing he was working with the Separatists. I never expected him to allow our child to be kidnapped, but he did. He handed me over to the Separatists for _years_ and then I was rescued. Then you and I got to know each other and this is where we are."

"Is that why you told me you couldn't love me?"

"Yes."

"I don't blame you," I whispered. "After something like that, I wouldn't be able to trust another human being either. Do you know what happened to your son?"

She nodded sadly. "Dooku attempted to train him as his apprentice. Luke would have been eight today…"

"_Attempted _to train him?"

"Luke defended himself and Dooku didn't like his arrogance. He killed him."

My chest tightened. "I'm sorry, Padme. I truly am."

She looked up at me sadly and then her eyes became lifeless. "Kiro, bring Anakin his daughter."

"Yes, milady."

"Thank you, Padme," I whispered. "Are you… are you trying to get revenge on Dooku for what he did to your son?"

"Yes," she said harshly. "I want him _dead._ You aren't strong enough as a Jedi. I need you to learn from my Sith friend. He will teach you all that you need to know and more."

"I'm willing to help you kill that bastard."

I glanced to the right and the man, Kiro, brought a baby into view. I attempted to control myself, but Padme must have realized that I would want to see her. "Go."

I didn't hesitate this time. I ran directly over to Kiro and he handed me the little baby girl. I cradled her in my arms, holding her against my chest. She was _beautiful. _She looked more Togruta than human and I didn't have a problem with that.

"You're free to speak with Ahsoka now. I have allowed your bond to flow normally, though I will ask that you keep everything I've told you between _us_. I don't want her interfering."

I nodded and reached out into the Force. "Ahsoka?" I asked quickly, wanting her to see our daughter through the bond.

"_Anakin? Are you all right?_"

"I'm fine. Listen, I'm going to let you see what I'm seeing right now."

I allowed the image of Ahso'kin to flow through her mind and I felt her joy. "_Is that her?_"

"Yes."

"_She… she's beautiful, Anakin._"

"Ahso'kin," I said aloud.

"_Ani, are you okay? What is Padme doing to you? What did you agree to?_"

"Sweetheart, relax. There's a few things that I can't tell you right now, but everything's fine. Padme needs my… _help_ with something. Just think, if I succeed, we'll be reunited and we'll have Ahso'kin with us."

"_What is she making you do?_"

"I can't tell you at this moment. Padme wants me to keep you in the dark with everything here, but I promise I will tell you once everything has worked out."

"_Can't you at least hint at what she wants you for? I'm worried about you, Anakin… I don't like being away from you._"

"Let's just say that it's all a matter of revenge. She needs my help for reasons that I can understand completely. Don't worry about me. Everything's going to work out. We'll be together again soon, my love."

"_Just... please, please be very careful, Anakin. I can't lose you. I know we've gone through a lot of hurt, but now we've got something to live for. We've got _someone _to live for. I can't raise her on my own. I want her to know her father and to spend her life with you. I can't bear _–"

"I promise I'll be careful. I'm not going to do anything suicidal. I'm going to accomplish what she wants and then I'm hoping she'll let us go. I'd never leave you alone to raise _our _daughter. I had just as much a part in her creation as you did. I love you."

"_I love you, Anakin Skywalker. I love you very much._"

Padme crossed her arms and looked over at me. "I need you to come with me. I'm going to block out your bond after you're done talking to her."

I nodded. "Soka, I love you more than anything in the galaxy. I love you so much, but I need to go for a little while. Every time Padme needs to inform me of the plan, she's going to block the bond. I'll contact you soon. I love you a lot, Ahsoka, even if I'm a bastard towards you at times."

I heard her giggle. "_Okay, go take care of this and come back to me soon. You might be a bastard, but keep in mind that you're _my _bastard._"

"All right, I'm your bastard, but you're my bitch."

"_Agreed. I love you._"

"I love you, too."

"_Take care of yourself and Ahso'kin._"

"I will. You just worry about yourself for now. I don't want to survive this and have nothing to come back to. I'll see you soon."

"_Okay. Again, I love you._"

"I know you do and you know I love you."

I nodded at Padme and she closed our bond. She began to walk away from me. "Padme, can I ask you something?" I asked quickly.

"What's on your mind?"

"Why did you take Ahso'kin from us if you've been through this before?"

She turned around and looked at me sadly. "I didn't _take _her. I rescued her. Dooku was going to use her in the same manner that he used my son. When I learned that you were having a baby, I knew I'd need to watch out for her. I was hoping Dooku would resurface, but when I realized that he was using his associates to take your child, I knew I'd need your help."

"So he kidnapped my daughter that wasn't even supposed to be born for another five months in order to _train _her and then you rescued her so you could gain my help in defeating him?"

"I was horrified when my spies told me what they did to Ahsoka. I knew that it was all Dooku's doing. I've learned that Ahsoka's midichlorian count is _almost _as high as yours, making a _very _powerful child. If you two have more, I'd recommend being careful. I needed to hold your daughter here so I could lure you in. I knew you were connected to her before she was born because you've always been like that."

"I see," I whispered. "I'm _more _than willing to help you kill Dooku and whoever else helped with this. What they did to her is unforgivable…"

She smiled weakly. "This is the part of you that you need to make dominant. Your anger must be fueled in order for this to work properly. To tell you the truth, you were meant to become a Sith. I have seen your future and that's why I _faked _my death. I couldn't allow that future to become true, no matter how much it hurt for you to witness it."

"What was going to happen?"

"Everything I tell you is strictly in confidence –"

"Just tell me."

"Palpatine was going to seduce you and lure you to the dark side, claiming that he could save me from death. You would give in and you would be my killer in the end. I felt that it wasn't worth it. You needed to live life as a human, not a droid. I gave you another chance to live out a normal life and you're doing it right now."

"Palpatine? That's not possible. I would have sensed –"

"He _is _a Sith Lord, Anakin. I've witnessed his power. Believe me when I say that he is the greatest evil you will face. He betrayed his apprentice. I've become a very close ally to said apprentice."

"Who was his apprentice?" I asked, my curiosity growing.

A woman entered the corridor and glanced at me. "Are you her father?"

I looked down at Ahso'kin, still sleeping in my arms. "Yes."

"May I take care of her? I've been watching her for the last few days. I understand if you'd want to take care of her yourself, but I've grown attached to her. I apologize if I seem –"

"No, no," I interrupted. "You've kept her healthy and alive for me. I trust you." I stepped closer to the shaking woman and gently lowered Ahso'kin into her arms.

Padme watched the whole thing. "It might be better if you weren't holding her regardless," she whispered. "What I'm going to tell you is going to upset you very much."

The woman smiled up at me for a moment before looking at my daughter. That was the face I wanted Ahsoka to have once I returned to her with Ahso'kin.

"Renee, go."

The woman, Renee, nodded and quickly exited.

I turned back to Padme and crossed my arms over my chest, giving her a skeptical look. "You say I'll be upset with what you've got to say? Why is that?"

"Anakin, I've already told you that there were things you didn't know about me. I've done a lot of things that you never would have thought me capable of. The things I was paid to do were horrible, but the things I willingly did were the worst. I've used many people in my lifetime. I've never used anyone as a love toy except for you. You were fantastic, Anakin, and I wished that things could have worked out differently for us."

"Stop dodging the question I've asked you," I said angrily. "Tell me what's going on."

"Anakin, your daughter has a lot of potential in this galaxy. She will grow up to be just like her parents. You and Ahsoka are very strong willed and major assets to this lifetime. There are things that I wish I could tell you about your futures, but I can't. I've been sworn to secrecy for several things, but for you… for you, I might consider making an exception."

I stared at her, cocking an eyebrow. "I'm confused as hell. What exactly are you talking about? Is there something you're getting at?" I shook my head. "I'm confused. I don't understand anything you're trying to tell me."

She stepped closer to me and put her hands on either side of my face. "A lot of things in both of your futures have changed. Had I not faked my death, Ahsoka would be dead right now. If she were dead, Ahso'kin wouldn't have been born. You wouldn't be as happy as you are now. I did something really, _really _stupid before I left you though."

"Padme, what –"

I heard footsteps, heavy footsteps, down the corridor. They were coming closer to us. She spun around and looked back until a figure appeared at the end of the corridor.

There was a hood covering the figure's face. I felt something familiar in this being, but I didn't quite understand it.

"Hello, Anakin. I believe it's about time that we met."

"Who are you?"

The man, his voice masculine and familiar, slowly lifted his gloved hands to his hood and revealed his identity.

My jaw dropped and I stood there, frozen, gaping at the image that appeared before me.


	41. Chapter 41

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

"What the hell kind of trickery is this?" I shouted, glaring at Padme. "This _isn't _funny, Padme."

She stepped towards him and gave me a very sad look. "I'm not trying to trick you or make you laugh. This is what I did before I left you, Anakin. I took a sample of your blood and such and built him."

"Again, what the hell?" I couldn't lower my voice because I was so upset yet so shocked. _I _was standing in front of _myself._

"Anakin, Padme only did what was for the best."

"You shut the hell up! How is this for the best? I have a clone that I didn't even know about."

"Let me explain," she whispered.

I raised my hand and clenched my fingers, tightening her throat to the point where her air was restricted. "I think it's a little _too _late for explanations. How do you keep this from someone?" I growled angrily.

Within moments, I felt like my air supply was cut off. I glanced over at my clone to see him mimicking my actions. "Release her, Anakin."

I clenched my fingers tighter and so did he. I attempted to keep myself alive long enough to snap her neck, but I couldn't. Her skin was turning blue and I felt like my neck was caving in on itself. I released her and he released me. We both collapsed to the floor in a coughing fit.

He knelt beside me and put his hand on my shoulder. "I'm not _you_, Anakin. I'm _me._"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm Vader, a Sith, and you're Anakin, a Jedi. You were meant to become me. Padme knew this and she couldn't allow it to happen, so she cloned you and gave me to Palpatine. He ended up betraying me almost six months ago, so I reconnected with Padme and here we are."

"Vader? What kind of name is that?"

"My Sith title."

Aside from my current anger directed towards Padme, at least I knew this guy wouldn't try to trick Ahsoka into frakking him. You could clearly see the difference in appearance. He was covered in scars and looked _much _older than me.

I shook my head and got up. "Padme, I'm going to kill Dooku for you, but I'm done after that. After this, I want to take my daughter back to Ahsoka and live in peace. I do _not _want to see you _ever _again."

"You had a child with Ahsoka? Your apprentice?"

I looked at him and glared. "_Yes. _Do _you _have a problem with that, cloney?"

"I'm saying that that's a little unorthodox. No wonder you weren't included in the Order anymore. Have you paid any attention to the Holonet recently?"

"No. I'm too busy stressing out over my kidnapped daughter and my wife that –" _Wife? _Really?

"_Girlfriend_…" I corrected. "Whose pregnancy was _accelerated _by five months!"

"I'm sorry that that happened to you both, but you must move on. This is the present. You cannot take back the past. Anyway –"

"No stang, genius!" I shouted. "She's scarred for life because of this. Neither of you thought that this would happen and I understand that, but do _not _tell me to move on."

"I foresaw your future, Anakin. This was part of the new path you've chosen. This was meant to happen."

I saw Padme look away from me and Vader. "Wait," I said slowly. "You mother frakkers _knew _she was going to go through this? Do you know how hard it's been the last few months as it is? We've both contemplated suicide and did things we can't take back that hurt one another. That emotional pain altogether doesn't even match what happened to her during the birthing process. She's _never _going to recover from what you bastards kept from us."

"It's all part of the –"

I held my hand up and clenched my fingers, listening to his strangled breath. "_Don't _even start with '_it's all part of the plan_.' That is _not _what I want to hear. I love her! I love her more than I've ever loved anyone! This was _my _child, too! I know you've had a much better time – oh, wait. You were betrayed by Palpatine. Go figure."

Before I could kill him, I was flung back at a wall. Vader chuckled, mocking me. "Don't try to fight me, child. I'm much more experienced than you could ever hope to be. My knowledge and power will overwhelm you."

"Really?" I taunted, standing back up.

"Anakin, don't!" Padme shouted as I launched a burst of the Force at Vader. I paralyzed him against the durasteel wall.

"Do _not _make me angry," I threatened. I thought back to Tatooine after I'd found my mother. She'd died in the Tusken Raider encampment… I had been too late…

"Anakin, stop, please!" Padme shouted louder. I felt her grip my wrist, but nothing she did would loosen the Force grip I had on Vader's neck.

I could almost hear his throat beginning to snap. His breaths were very labored and difficult. I hadn't even realized the amount of Force I was putting into my action. Thinking back to my mother's death always did that to me.

I glared at a wall and pulled my hand back, clenching it into a fist at my side. Vader slid down the wall, gasping for breath. "Anakin, we need his help. Don't kill him, please."

"So is he your new love interest? Is that why you're so protective of him?"

She bit her lip and stepped back, moving to his side. "Vader is my love. We've been married for five months now."

"What the hell? You married my _clone?_" That sounded a little idiotic to me. It didn't make any sense because she'd been so hell bent on _not _falling in love with _me_, but she had fallen for a clone. What exactly did that have to say about me?

"Anakin –"

"Leave me alone for a little while. Can I have my ability to speak with Ahsoka back? I'm going to slaughter you both unless I talk to her."

She bit her lip again and nodded slowly, nodding towards a door. I quickly walked across the corridor and entered the room. "Ahsoka?" I immediately thought, closing my eyes as my anger intensified.

"_I'm here. What's wrong?_"

"I know I'm not supposed to tell you anything, but I'm going to go kriffing _crazy _if I don't get it out. Soka, Padme _cloned _me. She _married _my _clone._"

"_What?_" she shouted in my head. "_Are you serious?_"

"I wouldn't lie about something like this, Ahsoka. The bastard looks like me, but much worse, so don't worry about being tricked."

I felt her concern rising up until I said that. "_What do you mean by 'much worse'?_"

"He's got scars all over…"

"_Oh, those will be pretty hard to hide, so…_" she laughed nervously in my head.

"Are you okay?"

There was a moment of hesitation. "Ahsoka?"

"_No, I'm not okay. I really miss you. You have no idea how much I want you here with me right now. There's no way you can sneak out of there with Ahso'kin?_"

"I miss you just as much, Soka. I don't think I _can _leave. I want to get Dooku back for what he did – _stang!_"

"_You're going after Dooku?_"

Damn it. It was a little _too _easy to get lost when talking to her. I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Yes, I'm going after Dooku. Padme's out to get him and so am I."

"_Anakin, tell her I'll help you._"

"Soka, this requires something that you can't do."

"_What do you mean?_"

"The whole point of my clone being involved is that he's trained in the dark side. No amount of Jedi power I use will be able to stop Dooku. Cloney has to train me in his abilities and then we'll take Dooku down together."

"_Anakin, I can do that for you._"

"No," I growled. "I will not allow you to fall to the dark side for this. I'm not even sure if I'll be able to come back to the light. You know how I am when I'm angry."

"_Damn it, Anakin, please…_" she pleaded. "_I want to help you. This happened to _me_. Don't you think _I _want revenge?_"

"Do you?"

"_Yes._"

The door burst open and I jumped a little. "You told her," Vader said, stating the obvious.

I glared at him. "Do you really –"

"We could allow her to come if you want."

I gaped at him like I'd just heard him incorrectly. "Come again?"

"We could allow her to come if you want," he repeated.

"Soka?" I whispered in my head. "Did you hear that?"

"_Yes. Anakin, do you want _–"

"Wait," I interrupted, thinking aloud. "How are we going to bring her _here?_"

"Simple," he chuckled. "Focus on her and your want for her presence. I'll help you build up enough energy to teleport her here."

"We can do that?" I asked, shocked.

"_I _can do that."

He grabbed my wrist and closed his eyes. "Focus on her."

I closed my eyes and pictured Ahsoka's face and all of the other beautiful things about her. "Good, now focus on your want for her as well."

"Sexually or not?" I asked, joking for Ahsoka's sake.

He paused, not sure how to respond to that. "Either, I guess."

"_You're hopeless_," Ahsoka said. I could just imagine her rolling her eyes at that specific moment in time.

I felt my power being drained to the point where I was getting exhausted quickly. I felt like my body was about to give in, but Vader told me to hold on just a little bit longer. I groaned in pain as my head began to ache, but I never stopped focusing on Ahsoka.

I felt a new presence in the room, so I collapsed. I opened my eyes to see silhouettes of two people.

"Anakin," she whispered. "You did it. I'm here."

I nodded and closed my eyes. I felt her hands on my neck, her thumb rubbing my jaw. I lifted my other hand and she quickly held it. "I love you."

She moved her hand to my hair, pushing it out of my face. "I love you, too, Ani."

Vader's boots were getting further and further away as he made his exit. "Wait," Ahsoka called out. "How long is he going to feel like this?"

"Not much longer. Just keep him still for about a minute and he'll be fine."

A few minutes passed before I actually felt decent enough to sit up. My head felt like it was under water. There was so much pressure there.

Ahsoka was sitting beside me, staring at me. I turned to look at her, finally seeing her clearly. I lifted my flesh hand to her chin and pulled her closer to me. I took her lips in slow, passionate kisses.

She scooted closer to me, her hand moving towards my lower area. "Hey," I whispered, breaking one of the kisses. "Not right now, love. I'm still really wiped out. I promise it'll be soon though, love. I've put you off long enough."

"Yes, you certainly have."

"Do you want to see Ahso'kin?"

Her eyes lit up and I smiled widely at her. "I'll take that as a yes."

She stood up quickly and pulled me up a little _too _quickly for my liking. "Hey, calm down, crazy."

"Sorry, I'm just a _little _excited to see my daughter," she whispered.

"Understandable." I pulled her closer to me and kissed her again. "I love you even when you're crazy."

"I'd say you're the crazy one."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Why _me?_"

She crossed her arms over her chest and smirked. "Who's crazier in bed?"

"Okay, fine, that's me, but you're just crazy in general."

She pulled me down to level with her face and kissed me. Afterwards, she rubbed her nose against mine. "I love you, Anakin. You have no idea how much I've missed you."


	42. Chapter 42

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Anakin apparently got his own quarters just for being a part of this little plan. He and I shared that room and I held our daughter in my arms as he slept.

His soft snores relaxed Ahso'kin. She was _so _beautiful. She had my facial markings, but her skin color was a combination of mine and Anakin's, making her a lighter shade of orange. Regardless, she was still beautiful.

Anakin sighed beside me and lifted his head a little to look over his shoulder. I put my hand on his chest when he flipped onto his back to look up at me. "Are you okay?"

I smiled widely and him. "Yes. Why?"

"I'm just making sure."

I rubbed his chest slowly, feeling the muscles there. "I want her to look like you, Ani."

He made a funny face at me before shaking his head. "I _really _don't want her to look like me. I mean, she already has a lot of Togruta in her, obviously, so she'd better look just as beautiful as you."

He grabbed my hand and held it tightly as he pushed himself up a little. He leaned over and kissed the side of my mouth. "I love you. I love you more than I ever show you…"

"I know, Anakin. I love you just as much."

He shook his head. "No. I mean, I'm a jerk all the time. The only nice things I've done for you recently are…" I watched a deep frown cross his lips and his eyes close. "I can't even think of anything nice I've done for you."

"You held me until I fell asleep. That was something really loving, Ani."

"That doesn't count. I always left you after you fell asleep."

"Shut up," I mumbled.

"I'm frakking serious, Ahsoka. I haven't done a damn thing for you lately to show you that I love you. I feel so horrible because I'm neglecting you. I love you so much and I'm failing at –"

I got up off of the bed and walked away. He obviously didn't expect that because his mouth hung open when I turned around. "What? You don't think I get sick and tired of you putting yourself down?"

He flipped over and buried his face into the pillows. I laid Ahso'kin down in her tiny crib that the woman used while taking care of her.

Once I tucked her in, I slowly crawled across the bed and lay on his back. I crossed my arms beneath his neck and rested my head on them. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, his voice muffled by the pillows.

"I love you anyway."

"Even if I'm cruel?" he asked, raising his head.

"You're my bastard. I'll love you no matter how you feel."

I saw his small smile and I kissed his hair. "I promise I'll always love you, Ani. You mean everything to me."

He quickly flipped me onto my back and rolled on top of me. I laughed as he began to kiss me slowly and passionately. I grabbed his belt and began to unfasten it. Once I'd accomplished that, I threw it to the floor.

I began to lift his tunic and he allowed it, lifting himself up a bit so I could slip it over his head. I threw it to the floor as he began to kiss me again. His mechanical hand wound underneath me and rubbed my back.

I pushed him up and sat up a little. He thought I wanted him to stop, so he just sat there and stared at me. "Can we?" I asked. "I don't want to get my hopes up if you're still in your '_no sex_' funk."

"If you want to, we can," he whispered.

I smiled up at him. "I really want to."

He nodded quickly and rubbed his lower area against my entrance. I giggled and stroked his cheek. "I see that you do, too."

He gave me a half smile that made my heart skip a beat. "Do you want to be on top or beneath me?"

I shoved him onto his back and kissed his jaw. "Let me do what I want first."

I was going to tease him for a few minutes. I rolled off of the bed and walked over to where his things were. I felt his eyes on my back and I felt his curiosity rising.

"What are you doing?"

I smirked over my shoulder and slowly bent down to grab his lightsaber. I turned around to look at him and he cocked an eyebrow. "Soka?"

I held the center of the lightsaber and turned the tip towards my body. His curiosity turned into concern and he leapt off of the bed. He grabbed my wrist, his eyes widened.

"Hey, relax," I said quickly.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm not going to do what you _think _I'm doing. Let go of my wrist."

He watched my eyes for a moment before slowly releasing me. I lifted the tip of the saber to my mouth and slid it between my lips. I bit down on the metallic hilt and he smirked. "Oh, I see…"

I licked it for a few moments before pulling it out of my mouth. "Want to help me practice?"

I knelt down in front of him and held the saber out towards him. He gave me a very cute smirk before taking the saber. He lowered it to my mouth. "I do want you to hold part of it though."

I nodded and grabbed the part beneath his hand. I began to slide my hand up and down the hilt quickly, watching his eyes as I did so. I could see his imagination running wild, the hunger burned deeply in his eyes.

I opened my mouth and devoured the hilt, moving my head back and forth while licking the cool, metallic piece. I could hear his breathing quicken and I moaned, making things much worse for him. I lifted my other hand to his wrist and held it, keeping my head in motion.

"Damn it," he growled.

I pulled away from the hilt and looked up at him, smiling. My spit was on the hilt. He lifted it up to his face as I stood up. He licked the hilt, tasting what I'd left behind on it. He moaned and licked his lips. "So when do I get a turn with your mouth?"

"Soon."

I pulled his trousers down and began to rub the fabric above his erection. He moaned and closed his eyes. I hummed a little as I leaned forward and kissed his bare chest. "S-soka…" he moaned.

There was a knock on the door. His eyes snapped open and we both looked at the door. "Are you kriffing kidding me?"

"Later, I promise," I whispered. I rubbed his neck as his anger rose.

"It's like I never have a moment with you. The next time we're alone, I'm _going _to make love to you."

"Sweetheart –"

"No. I'm so fed up with interruptions. I want you to feel good and I want to do it. I want to show you that I love you," he whispered fiercely, putting his hands on either side of my face.

"Skywalker, it's time for our first session. Your Padawan can come along if she so desires."

I could hear his teeth grinding at the mention of me being his Padawan. "Anakin, please," I whispered. "I might not be as emotional as I was when I was pregnant, but I'm still emotional when it comes to your anger."

"We'll be right out, you son of a bitch," he said towards the door as another knock sounded.

He let go of me angrily and began to dress himself. I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest, feeling sick for a moment. I hated when he was upset…

He grunted in frustration as he had a hard time fixing his belt. He eventually just gave up and threw it to the floor. I walked over and picked it up. He stared at me sadly as I began to wrap his belt around him, fastening it without a problem.

I felt his anger burst through the hull and beyond. Once his belt was on correctly, I rested my hands on his chest. "Breathe," I whispered.

He inhaled slowly and exhaled just as slowly. "That didn't help."

"How about this?" I pulled his face closer to mine and kissed him slowly, dancing with his tongue every now and then.

Once we finished, he held me close to him. "That definitely helped." His right hand rested near my montrals and his left rested on the lower area of my rear lek. "You're beautiful on the inside and on the outside."

I closed my eyes and smiled, taking in his warmth. I held his tunic tightly in my fingers as I breathed in his wonderful scent. "My Soka," he whispered.

I laughed lightly and kissed his shoulder. "My Ani."

"Are you two almost done in there? It's been five minutes for Force's sake."

Anakin tensed up and I pushed him back a little. "Don't do anything. Just calm down."

"Only because you want me to. Otherwise, I'd wring that frakker's neck."

I took his hand and led him out of the room. Vader was standing right in front of the door. "Finally," he sighed, sounding frustrated. "I thought you two were going to make another demon child in there. Renee, watch that _thing _while we're –"

My chest tightened at this man's words. I couldn't even hold Anakin back because his words had hurt me so much. _Demon child_ echoed in my head. The voice was Anakin's, but it was actually Vader that had said it…

Anakin lurched forward and slammed his clone in the face with his mechanical hand. I knew how much power that hand held firsthand, but I'd never been _punched _by him.

Vader fell onto his back and I finally came to my senses as Anakin snarled in anger. I grabbed his hand and tugged. "Ani, stop!" I pleaded.

"Don't you _ever _call my daughter a _demon, _you son of a bitch!" He used a light amount of the Force to get me off of him.

My back hit the door that had closed. I slid down it and stared as Anakin beat the hell out of the clone. As much as I loved to see his protectiveness of his daughter, I _still _didn't like his anger.

I closed my eyes and focused on their bodies. I lifted my hands and managed to build up enough power to throw both men away from each other in opposite directions.

I pushed myself up and ran to Anakin, kneeling in front of him. He groaned and I rubbed his back, knowing I'd just slammed him into a rough spot. "I'm sorry…" I whispered, tears streaming down my cheeks.

He shook his head and looked up at me. "Don't apologize."

He lifted his hand to the back of his head and rubbed it for a moment. When he moved it back in front of him, blood covered his fingers. "Stang," he muttered. "That's not good."

I put my hand in the same spot and held it there, attempting to stop more blood from gushing out. My lips trembled as he rubbed my right side. "You did what you thought would stop us. To tell you the truth, love, this war is just beginning between him and me."

"I don't want you to fight anymore."

"Did you _not _hear what he said about Ahso'kin?" he growled, glaring up at me.

"I heard him." Tears dripped down onto his face, but that didn't bother him. I could feel his pain at seeing me cry, but he didn't care where my tears fell. He just wanted to be the one to wipe them away. "Just be the better man."

He nodded slowly, lifting his hand to my cheek. I closed my eyes as he wiped my tears away.


	43. Chapter 43

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

Sweat dripped from every exposed part of my body. My tunic was stuck to my chest, as my pants were stuck to my legs. The boots didn't help with that situation, keeping the pants firmly in their place.

I skidded back across the training room, burning my knees against the floor. Vader was seriously beginning to exhaust me. He was telling me to charge at him, but he kept pushing me back with the Force. Ahsoka's voice whispered '_Relax, Ani_' over and over in my head. She knew I was getting frustrated and I was about ready to snap.

I was just glad that she was training with me. I watched her run across the mats and do a jump followed by a spinning kick. Unfortunately, despite the amazing move she'd attempted to use, she was thrown back very harshly.

Vader felt no sympathy for using either of us and practice toys. I got up, breathing heavily.

I balled a portion of my anger up into energy and threw my hands out towards Vader. He hadn't expected me to use the Force on him, so I'd used that against him. He flew back against the wall and I quickly ran over to Ahsoka.

She had been tossed into a wooden crate and she hadn't moved since she'd been thrown. "Soka," I whispered, shaking her a little. She groaned, her eyelids tightening. "Are you okay?"

She slowly shook her head and I gently lifted her from the box. I lowered us both to the floor and I held her against me tightly. I looked at my left hand. Blood covered the palm and fingertips.

My eyes widened and I quickly pressed my hand back down on her side, putting pressure on it. "Vader, she's wounded."

"That's not my concern."

"You arrogant –"

"Ani –" Ahsoka's strangled voice whispered. Her eyes were slits as she stared up at me.

"Shh," I whispered. I kissed her lips and lifted her into my arms, carrying her bridal style out of the training room.

"We're still in session!" Vader called out.

"That's not _my _concern," I whispered, looking down at Ahsoka worriedly. She was more important than some psychotic bastard that wanted to train us in the ways of the dark side – failing in the process, by the way.

I walked all the way down to the medbay. The doors slid open and I quickly placed her on the medical bed. There was no droid in sight and I grew concerned. _I _was going to have to do this if there was no droid.

I began to rummage through the medical supplies as Ahsoka began to groan again. "Soka, hold your side. You're bleeding everywhere. There's no Force damn droid and I can't find a – _got it._ I've got some bacta."

I quickly went back to her. I moved her hands and placed the bacta on top of the wound, holding it against her tightly with my mechanical hand. She cried out and my heart instantly broke. Tears streamed her face and she reached out for me. I quickly grasped her hand in mine and she held it tightly. "It's not working," she whispered, breathing heavily.

I knew we had the ability to regenerate ourselves, but I wasn't sure if she'd learned how to do this yet. I triggered my regeneration and attempted to push it into her body to heal the wound. She gasped and arched her back slightly.

Her eyelids shut tightly once again and her mouth opened in a silent scream. "I'm so sorry," I whispered, rubbing her hand with my thumb. She closed her mouth and bit her lip, shaking her head.

After ten minutes, she had finally relaxed. I gently removed the bacta from her side. It was covered in blood, yet it had done nothing to help her. The wound was sealed with a slight scar.

I tossed the piece of cloth into the waste compartment before focusing on her completely. She reached out for me and I took her hand. "You did what you needed to do," she whispered, smiling weakly.

"I didn't want to hurt you in the process though, my love. I'm so sorry."

She pushed herself up with my help and threw her legs over the side of the bed. She pulled me closer to the point where I was standing between her legs. I put my hands on either side of her face and gently rubbed her beautiful, warm skin. Her hands were on my hips and she smiled widely. "I love you."

I gently kissed her nose. "I love you, too."

She reached up and ran her fingers through my sweaty hair.

The door hissed behind me as it slid open. Heavy footsteps crossed the threshold and I heard a frustrated sigh. I glanced over my shoulder to see Vader staring at us in a very disappointed manner. "What do you want?" I growled.

Ahsoka's hands were now resting on my shoulders, her weak attempt to keep me under control. I tried to stay calm, but I really wasn't in the mood to hear his insults that were directed towards my family. No, Ahsoka and I weren't married, but I was definitely thinking about proposing to her once things settled down… Regardless, Ahsoka and Ahso'kin were my family.

"You can't just walk out on a session. These are important trainings. If she's going to be a problem –"

"I _love _her! Don't you love Padme? If you truly did, you would understand why I'm this way," I said, turning to face him completely. "Ahsoka is _my _Padme. If she gets hurt, she's my first priority. Quite frankly, I don't give a damn what you have to say about it. Ahsoka's my world. If you take that away from me, you lose my help."

"We'll kill your daughter."

"Over my dead body, bitch."

Ahsoka jumped off of the bed and put herself between us, pushing me back. "Stop it! Both of you!"

Vader and I stared at her angrily. I couldn't help it. Vader was getting to me and Ahsoka was keeping me from satisfying the need to kill him. "I love you, Soka, but get out of the way, please."

"If you love me, you'll stop. Remember what I said to you."

"_Be the better man_," echoed in my thoughts. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"If you threaten to kill my daughter or take Ahsoka away from me, I _will _kill you."

"I won't hesitate to snap your bitch's neck," Vader replied.

I snapped and forced Ahsoka to let go of me. As much as I'd teased Ahsoka about being my bitch, it wasn't true. I loved her more than that and I wasn't about to let this _clone _get away with insulting her.

I used the Force and threw him back against the door. I slammed his face with my mechanical fist several times before throwing him to the left with the Force. Blood was dripping down the door and across the floor.

I held my hand out and began to clench my fingers, tightening the invisible hold on his neck.

A hand pressed against my back and I glanced over my shoulder. "This is your destiny." I gasped at the sudden appearance of my mother.

I released Vader and stumbled, falling to the floor. The first thing that crossed my mind – aside from the shock – was '_am I crazy?_' My dead – _very _dead and gone – mother had just appeared in front of me, telling me that this was my destiny. My anger was my destiny?

If that were so, I didn't want that future. I didn't want my anger to get the best of me. That wasn't fair to Ahsoka or Ahso'kin.

Ahsoka's arms wound around my neck and her hands shook against my face and chest. Her left hand touched my chest and her right was on my left cheek. I felt her silent sobs going through her body. I turned to look at her over my shoulder.

When I looked into her fearful eyes, I knew I needed to fix my personality. I'd changed a lot for her and this was another part of that. I immediately began to shut my emotions down, allowing myself to feel empty. I closed myself within my body, locking her out of my thoughts as well.

I pushed myself up, pulling her up with me. Wordlessly, I grabbed her hand and began to drag her away from Vader. She held my hand tightly and struggled to keep up with me.

"Ani, stop," she whispered.

I obeyed and stopped, turning to face her. She put her hands on either side of my face and stared into my eyes. "Talk to me, please."

"No."

"I can't hear your thoughts. Don't do this. I want you to be open. This is part of you. I _can't _change you into someone –"

"You _can _change me and you _did. _I'm fixing myself for you. I'm going to be the better man."

"Not like this," she whispered, her voice shaking. "Don't shut yourself up. Your emotions are important to me. If you lock them up, you'll never be yourself."

"If I'm myself, I _hurt _you, Ahsoka. I can't watch you cry anymore. You've cried too much because of me. Now is the time to right what's wrong."

"There's nothing wrong with you!" she screamed. "I fell in love with you when you were doing drugs and drinking all the time! Do you really think I give a damn about what _you _think is wrong with your emotions? No! I don't! I love you for _you!_ You're perfect because –"

Anger had released itself at the worst possible moment. "I am _not _perfect," I growled. "I'm nowhere near perfect. If anything, you deserve _better _than me. I might have gotten you pregnant, but you're not bound to Ahso'kin _or _me. You can leave if you want. I'm not your Master and you're not my slave. You're Ahsoka and I'm Anakin. I _can't _control your life."

"I _am _bound to you, Anakin. I gave myself up to you. I'm forever yours."

I growled and grabbed her a little too harshly, slamming her against a wall. "Did you _not _hear me? I just told you that you're _free! _You can leave me! I want _you _to be happy! This is _your _life!" I held her wrists tightly and breathed heavily in her face.

Her hands were balled into fists and she tried to give me a look of defiance as tears began to streak her cheeks. "I heard you," she whispered angrily. "Why don't you think I love you?"

"Because I'm not worth your time, Ahsoka. You're hardly _ever _happy when I'm around. I always hurt you and that's not fair to you."

"You always make me happy unless you're angry. Again with the hurting thing, it's the same. Despite the fact that you're angry a lot, I know you love me. You always tell me that you love me. Ahso'kin is a visual representation of our love, Ani."

My lips trembled at her words. I let her go and she hugged me tightly. "The good outweighs the bad," she whispered against my chest. "No matter what happens, you're stuck with me, Skyguy."

My emotions came back in a mass flood. I held her tightly and allowed myself to open up again. She dug her fingers into my back. "I love you."

I smiled despite the overwhelming dread I felt. I still felt unworthy of her love. "I love you," I whispered, kissing the side of her right montral.

We stood there in each other's arms for some time before she laughed lightly and wrapped her arms around me tighter. "There's no one else that could take your place, Anakin. Don't you _ever _forget that. You were my first love and you're still my only love. Don't let Vader tear you apart. I'm going to be here with you every step of the way."


	44. Chapter 44

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Six months had passed. We were finally allowed to speak to Obi-Wan and Satine, though we weren't allowed to reveal our whereabouts. We were now on Raxus, hiding in the center of a Separatist hub.

Anakin and I had become much stronger and we'd learned a lot in the ways of the dark side.

"Everything here is all right," Anakin sighed. "Ahsoka's fine and so is the baby. How are you two?"

I put my holopad down and glanced over at him. He'd had more problems that I did. Vader _really _didn't like him. Bruises covered Ani's arms, legs, and midsection. He had one on his right cheek, but he preferred to just forget that they were all there.

He looked at me over his shoulder and smiled weakly. "_We're both all right. Anakin, you look terrible. Are you sure you're okay?_"

I got off of the bed and walked over to him. I put my arms around his neck and rested my right cheek on his head. "Yeah, I'm fine. Any trouble with the Council?"

"_They have cruisers searching for you both. They came here, Anakin. I'm surprised they didn't want me to go with them. Then again, Death Watch has resurfaced…_"

"What a coincidence," Anakin laughed. "Well, I don't think they'll find us. Do you know where they're looking for us?"

"_Most planets. Try not to get caught, Anakin. Who knows what they'll do to you once they find you, Ahsoka, too, for that matter…_"

I rubbed his chest slowly, kissing his hair. "We'll be careful. I've got Ahsoka watching out for me."

Obi-Wan's hologram nodded and Anakin smiled a little. "_Well, I'll let you two go. Take care of each other and your daughter. You'll have to send me a hologram of her._"

"I'll see if I can find something for that. Take care of yourself, Obi-Wan."

With that, Obi-Wan fizzled out. Anakin sighed. I straightened up as he leaned forward on the desk. "Are you okay? I know you can lie to Obi-Wan, but you can't lie to me."

"Just a little exhausted. Everything hurts a bit as well."

"Go take a shower."

"I don't feel like standing in there for fifteen minutes. I don't want to leave you either…"

I smiled as he lifted his head. He reached out for me and I took his hand. He pulled me into his lap and held me tightly. I kissed his neck. "I'll go in with you."

"What about Ahso'kin?" he asked, concerned. His eyes darted over to her.

"You laid her down about ten minutes ago. We've got some time before she wakes up again. We don't have to do anything but shower if you're so worried that she'll wake up."

His eyes came back to me and he gave me a very nervous smile. "I _am _worried. We didn't have her for a few days. I don't want to miss any more time with her, Ahsoka."

"I understand. Believe me, I do. Ani, you can't stop living because you think something's going to happen to her. She's _safe._"

He thought for a few moments and I could see all of his worst fears flashing through his mind. They all involved me and Ahso'kin. I knew he was afraid of losing us, but there was nothing to fear. He and I had both grown stronger with the Force and with our emotions.

He stood up suddenly, carrying me bridal style into the refresher. I watched his face and smiled. He set me down in the shower and stepped in moments after. He turned the water on while we were still in our clothes. The water hit his head and slid over his hair until it dripped down my montrals. He held me in a loving embrace as our lips moved passionately against each other's.

I slid his shirt up his gorgeous body until he allowed me to slide it over his head. He pulled my maroon tank top up over my head as I unfastened his belt. He unclasped my bra when I threw his belt onto the shower floor. The bra was tossed down beside the belt. I knelt down before he could finish undressing me. I pulled his pants and underwear down and he stepped out of them.

I saw his erect member – not that it was a surprise – and quickly moved to please him before he could tell me to stand up. I took his full length in my mouth, feeling the tip of his member hit the back of my throat. I closed my eyes and began to move my head back and forth, licking him as I moved.

I heard him panting and moaning above me and knew that I must be doing something right. I rubbed his member where I wasn't sucking and that seemed to make him go crazy. I opened my eyes and looked up at him, keeping my head and hand in motion.

His eyes were closed and his lips were parted, a smile creeping onto them as he breathed quickly. His hands were on the shower walls. "Soka," he whispered. He tilted his head back and kept whispering my name over and over again.

After another minute of sucking him, I stopped to breathe. His body relaxed and his eyes opened. "Damn, you're good," he chuckled lightly.

I smiled up at him. "My turn," he said quickly.

I raised my left eye marking at him. "Hey, I didn't say I was finished."

"No, but I want to have a turn with you, so stand up."

I slowly stood up and he gently pulled my shorts down, followed by my underwear. He slowly began to move his lips down my body. He kissed my left lek, allowing his tongue to roam over it very briefly, before traveling down to my breast. His warm mouth devoured the nipple, his tongue spinning around it. His mechanical hand rubbed my right breast slowly, pinching the nipple gently.

I moaned as he continued for a few moments. I felt his tongue slide over my stomach, his hands moving along my sides and across my hips.

He moved my right leg to the side and pulled it up over his left shoulder, forcing me to balance on my left leg. I felt his tongue roaming over my lower area before sliding into the folds. He quickly licked me while rubbing my left leg with his mechanical hand. "_I love you_," he whispered into my thoughts.

His tongue slid out of me and he kissed the area slowly before looking up at me. I opened my eyes to see him smiling up at me. He moved his mechanical hand towards my entrance and slowly slid one cool finger inside. I gasped as he began to rub me quickly.

After a few moments, another finger slid in. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the wall as I continued to moan. I couldn't help it. It felt so _good._

His fingers slid out of me and he lowered my leg from his shoulder before standing up. His flesh hand caressed my face. He lifted his mechanical hand to his face and slid two of his fingers between his lips. His eyes closed and he moaned. I smirked at him. "How do I taste?"

He moved his hand away from his mouth and opened his eyes. "Wonderful, of course."

"You, too."

He shrugged. "I already knew that."

I stared at him. "That's sick!" I teased.

He stared at me with a very innocent, yet confused, expression. "What do you mean that's – _Ahsoka!_" He laughed. "_That _is not what I meant!"

"I know. You're just full of yourself."

He rolled his eyes. "_Funny._ No, I just remember hearing your thoughts the first time you did it."

"Oh."

His smile warmed me up – even without the help of the hot water. "Are you going to make love to me?"

"That depends on you. I mean, we've only had moments with each other…" he trailed off. "I'm still upset with the fact that we've only had sex a few times in the last few months…"

"You're always tired when I'm wide awake. Anyway, I want you to. I want to do it again."

He nodded and lifted me up, pressing my back and rear against the wall. He supported my bottom as I wound my legs around his waist. His mechanical hand drifted away from me and moved down so he could gently insert himself into me.

I moaned as his member entered. He started off slowly, kissing me as he thrust. I tilted my head towards the ceiling, moaning in pleasure, and his mouth moved to my neck, nibbling gently.

After a few minutes, he began to thrust into me quicker. I gasped as he slid further into me. I dug my fingernails into his shoulders unintentionally. It was just a habit when he did that.

I lowered my face so I could look into his eyes. He breathed heavily, but still managed to smile at me. He slowed down and moved his face towards mine, kissing me passionately. I moved my hands up to the back of his head, tugging on his hair.

He began to thrust quickly again as he continued to kiss me.

Without meaning to, I gasped and released myself all over him. I moved my mouth away from his to apologize quickly. "I'm sorry."

"Shh," he whispered. "Love, don't be sorry. It's perfect," he chuckled. "I wanted you to go first. You have to remember that it doesn't matter _how _you do it. You're with me. It could go all over my face for all I care," he teased.

"I'm sure you'd like that," I breathed, kissing his jaw.

"Definitely."

"How close are you?" I whispered.

He kissed my neck slowly. "Ani."

"I've been there for a while, Soka. I just didn't want it to happen too quickly."

"Like you said, _you're with me._ Release it inside of me."

He closed his eyes as he moved his face towards mine again. I closed my eyes as our lips connected. He made them short, yet loving, kisses.

He began to thrust again. I kept my eyes closed as I moaned. I felt his eyes on my face. He always made sure I was all right when we made love.

Once I felt him release himself inside of me, he began to pant. It all happened in slow squirts, but it felt wonderful. I arched my back, pressing my stomach against his.

He finished after a few moments and I felt his exhaustion intensify. He kissed me lovingly for a minute before allowing me to stand on my own two feet. His arms wound around me and rubbed my lower back. I circled his neck and smiled against his lips.

We separated for breath and he smiled, opening his eyes slowly. "I love you, Ahsoka."

"I love you."

He proceeded to wash over my body slowly while rubbing areas of his choosing. As the water began to cool down, I quickly took over and washed him. I made sure I was careful and gentle with his bruises. I also didn't want him to stay in here alone after he was done washing me.

We both stepped out together. He quickly grabbed a towel and wrapped it around me, kissing my cheek as he did so. He grabbed a towel for himself and wrapped it around his waist. His erection looked pretty funny to me, since it lifted the towel a bit.

"You're funny," he said, rolling his eyes. He moved his mechanical hand over the area and pressed it down. We walked out into the bedroom and dressed ourselves.

He wore black Jedi garments and I wore a large, black tank top with tight, black pants. We both sat on the edge of the bed and pulled our black boots up to our knees. Padme and Vader bought us somewhat matching outfits because we trained together so often and she thought about doing something nice for us. She also said that these outfits were pretty comfortable when training or fighting as well – which wasn't a lie.

We stood up simultaneously and he pulled me against him, hugging me tightly. I looked over at Ahso'kin – still sleeping – and smiled wider. My daughter and my lover made my life so much better.

I can't imagine what would have happened if I hadn't become his apprentice almost two years ago…


	45. Chapter 45

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Renee was watching Ahso'kin while Anakin took me into town. He had a hood over his face since he was more recognizable than I was. He held my hand tightly, rubbing over the backside of it.

He just wanted me alone for a little while without worrying about Vader invading our privacy. His need for me was almost like his hunger.

"You wouldn't be mad if I said I wanted to grab a drink really quick, would you?" he whispered, his concern dominating his want for alcohol. I already knew Padme was giving him drinks, so it's not like this question was a surprise. We did fight about the alcohol about a month ago and we continuously fought about him cutting himself.

"I'll let you get _one _glass if you let me taste it. I want to know why you like it so much."

"Just a sip. The last thing I need is to get caught here because I'm allowing underage drinking."

"Oh, but you condone teenage pregnancy with an older man?" I replied, meaning for it to sound like I was teasing him.

He stopped and let go of my hand. "I didn't mean it like that, Anakin."

"Are you saying that it's a bad thing?" he whispered. "I never said I accepted it universally. I just accepted it with _you _because _I _got you pregnant and I _love _you."

I put my hands on his chest. "I didn't say it was a bad thing. In all honesty, I'm glad it was you that I had my first child with. I know you're down on yourself and I hate it, but you're a wonderful man. I watch you when you're with Ahso'kin. You think I'm sleeping, but I'm silently crying at how perfect you are. You're so loving and wonderful with her. Every time you put her back in her crib, you lay down behind me and pull me closer to you. I love it."

"Damn, you really are awake when this is going on," he muttered. "I love you both. I wake up to calm her because I don't want to make you do everything on your own."

I rubbed his cheek beneath the hood. "You're doing a great job, daddy," I teased. "Really, Ani, you are. You're a wonderful father."

"I'm trying," he sighed. "I feel like I'm not doing my best to satisfy either of you sometimes…"

"Why would you say that?" I asked, raising my eye markings at him incredulously.

He shrugged and caressed my cheek. "It's just a feeling." I saw his eyes drift past me. "Like the fact that I believed I felt one of the Masters and then they appeared several feet in front of me."

I almost turned around, but he stopped me. "You're not hidden. Don't turn around. Walk with me," he whispered. He put his arm around my shoulders, glancing over his own for a quick moment. He led me away from the main streets. "I can feel them," he growled under his breath. "Why are they on _Raxus?_ This is still Seppie space. They're risking themselves here!"

I felt his anger rising as we continued to walk further away from where most of the planet's inhabitants were. The alley he led me into was extremely dark.

He practically ripped his robe off, swinging it around me and lifting the hood. "Go."

I stared at him like he was crazy. "What about you?"

He tapped his lightsaber hilt. "I'll make sure you're safe. I'm not going to get caught. I can't leave you alone, so don't worry. I'm just going to give them a little scare."

"Why do you always have your lightsaber?"

"I told you that it's always there with you around," he teased. I rolled my eyes and smirked at him. "You never know when we'll pick a fight on a Seppie planet, so… I tend to be prepared for the worst sometimes."

I kissed his cheek really quick. "Be careful, Ani."

"Get going, beautiful." I watched him jump up onto a building and walk along the edge while holding his saber.

I turned as I felt Force presences coming closer to me. I quickly began to walk away, hoping that they wouldn't follow me. My dominant hope was that he wouldn't get caught…

After a few minutes, I heard alarms sounding in the main square. I sat on a bench and pulled Anakin's holopad out from the pocket inside of his robe. I began to flip through random articles and I heard the sound of blasters.

I jumped, fearing the worst for a matter of moments. Anakin's silhouette rounded a corner and didn't stop running. His saber was deactivated, but I knew it was him.

I ran to him and pulled him out of sight as police droids were passing. He was holding his side tightly and slid down the wall of the building he'd jumped onto minutes ago. I knelt down beside him and moved his hand. There was plenty of blood dripping from a fresh wound. "What happened?" I asked quickly, staring into his eyes.

"The bastard jabbed me with a pocket knife. I don't know where he got the damn thing, but it _really _hurt. The Jedi is Plo. Kriffing Plo is here."

I stroked the left side of his face as I put pressure on his right side. "So Mr. _I tend to be prepared for the worst_, do you have anything to heal yourself with?"

He was gasping in pain while clenching his teeth tightly. I could hear his teeth grinding against each other. "I'm going to try to use my regeneration on myself."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

He shook his head. "I don't think you know how to use regeneration. Vader isn't teaching it to you. I learned it from Luminara several years ago. That was before she became a counselor."

I grimaced at the mention of Luminara. "Can you teach me?"

He tilted his head up a bit and closed his eyes. I felt his blood fading in my hand. I moved away from his side and glanced at the wound. It was healing quickly, but, from his expression, it appeared to be very painful. "This can't be as bad as me kicking _you _during one of our training sessions," I teased, trying to make him laugh despite the pain.

"That hurt like hell," he said through his teeth. "This hurts just as much."

"But I made it feel better when we got back to the bedroom."

He looked at me and I could see the small smile. "That you did."

His wound sealed up, leaving a small long scar. He gasped before relaxing. I scooted between his legs and leaned against his chest. He held me tightly and kissed my montrals. "I'm sorry that you got hurt. This is all my fault…"

"How is this _your _fault? I'm the one that revealed us to –"

"It's because of Ahso'kin."

"You forget that you wouldn't have had her without me, Ahsoka. This is not _all _your fault. I have just as much part in this as you do."

"What are we going to do about Plo?"

"He said he wanted to talk to you. That was _before _I got stabbed and _without _profanities. I gave you the very nice version of his words."

"He wants to _talk _to me? About what?"

"He's probably going to tell you that I'm a lying bastard. He probably thinks I'm taking advantage of you still. I heard him tell Windu that I would fit the stereotype for a typical guy that just loves sex because I'm –_ supposedly_ – the Force damn _Chosen One_."

"He can say whatever he wants. I _know _you're not like that, regardless of being The Chosen One."

I jumped with an azure blade ignited inches from Anakin's face. "Master Plo!"

"Get away from this mother frakker," he growled through his mask. Anakin held completely still, not wanting to die just yet. His eyes met Plo's face in a hard glare.

"Plo, he's not –"

"Get up, Ahsoka!"

Anakin gently pushed me off of him. I stood several feet away from Anakin as Plo's lightsaber continued to hover near his face. I could feel the turmoil in Plo and I had a feeling that he was going to hurt Anakin. "If you kill him, I will _not _hesitate to kill you, Master Plo."

"You would turn on me for _this?_"

"I love him!"

I watched Anakin's mechanical hand twitch a little, his hilt falling into his palm. I stared in dismay. His eyes met mine for a moment before he glanced up at Plo. "Ani, don't!" I screeched as he moved his hand.

He ignited his saber and swung at Plo's, giving him enough time to move from his position. Plo hadn't thought that Anakin would take a chance at the risk of his own life and Anakin had used that to his advantage.

Anakin stumbled a little and I quickly ran to him to hold him. He'd managed to put his saber on his belt, so he held me close to him. "Let her go," Plo growled, slowly grinding out each word.

"I'm not holding her hostage. She's here by her own choice." Anakin's arms unwound from my body and he held them up to show Plo what he meant. I'd instinctively grabbed him, not wanting him to get hurt, so Plo had to believe his words.

"Little Soka…"

"I love him," I whispered. "I _love _Anakin."

"I rescued you from slavery, Little Soka. Why must you disregard all of the opportunities I have given you? This bastard is not your future. He is your _downfall._ Look what happened to your child."

I let Anakin go off this time. Plo was overstepping his boundaries as my father figure. It was nice that he was protective of me, but I didn't want him to insult Anakin for something that didn't even happen. If Ahso'kin had died, I still wouldn't allow Anakin to be blamed for it. "How is that _my _fault?" he snapped.

"You were the one doing drugs and alcohol. I am _very _surprised that you have not killed Ahsoka yet. She is just as vulnerable as a baby. You could easily break her in two."

"I'd _never _kill her!" he growled. "I _love _her! Why can't you just get that through your Force damn mask?"

"You killed your own child! Who knows what lengths you would go to?" he shouted.

I felt Anakin's anger turn into pure rage. He'd never been _this _upset. He was pretty mad when Vader called me a bitch, but this was about ten times worse.

He stepped forward and pulled his hands back to his chest. A ball of Force energy lit up in his hands and, as he threw his hands out, the ball grew large. His palms faced Plo and the energy burst out towards him.

Plo was thrown backwards – several feet. He was knocked directly through a stone building and then some.

I gaped at the amount of power Anakin wielded. I knew he was strong, but I didn't think he was _that _strong.

His body rocked for a moment before his knees gave out and he fell to the ground. "Ani!" I ran over to him and put my hand on his back, the other on his head. "Ani, wake up," I whispered, shaking him a little.

He groaned and lifted his head to look up at me. "Sorry."

"For what?"

"Getting so angry…"

I pulled him up into my arms as Plo began to trudge through the debris of the buildings he'd crashed through. "Ani, I understand that you're never going to have a peaceful argument with someone. Like you told me in the first few months, you're one for aggressive negotiations."

He smiled a little. I helped him up and Plo stepped closer to us. "Anakin Skywalker, I hereby place you under arrest," he growled. "For raping a minor and impregnating her and for consuming illegal drugs."

I watched his smile fade away and his eyes grow cold. "I told you I love her and she's told you that she loves me. Do you want me to spell out the rest for you?"

Without any notice, we were surrounded by several other Jedi. Anakin pulled me closer to him, not wanting me to get hurt, of course.

Typical Anakin…


	46. Chapter 46

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I clutched Anakin's arm tightly. He was tense and angry. He ignited his saber and stood defensively in front of me. "Anakin, don't," I pleaded.

Some of the Jedi surrounding us were our friends from past battles and such. I didn't want to hurt any of them. I knew Anakin didn't entirely care for these people anymore because they had sent him off to be frozen in carbon, but he couldn't do this regardless.

"Drop your weapon, Skywalker. You are heavily outnumbered," Plo said, taunting Anakin.

"_What are you thinking?_"

I was shocked to hear his voice in my head. I didn't think he'd take me into consideration. "We can't fight them," I replied, looking up at his determined face.

"_I can take them. If I fight them, you'll have enough time to run to –_"

"I will _not _leave you to do this alone. You're stuck with me, Anakin."

"_I didn't bring your lightsaber, Ahsoka…_"

"Give me yours."

He glanced at me in complete confusion. "Ani, you're stronger with the Force itself than I am. _That _is your weapon."

I watched him think for several moments before he just dropped his saber onto the ground. One of the other Jedi bent to pick it up and Anakin snapped his fingers. His azure blade ignited and ran through the man's chest. He gasped before falling onto Anakin's saber.

Anakin pushed me down as the other Jedi began to ignite their sabers. I looked up to see Anakin's legs in front of my face. "Give us Ahsoka and we _might _consider letting you go…"

I knew Plo wouldn't allow Anakin to get away that easily. Plo looked at me like his daughter. He wasn't too happy when he found out that I was pregnant. I could only imagine that his anger had become ten times worse because I'd run off with Anakin.

Anakin's hands were raised in surrender, but I could see the flashes through his mind as his thoughts raced. I saw him plan to grab his lightsaber quickly and kill Plo. "Ani, don't," I pleaded. "He might be a jerk right now, but he's like my father…"

He growled and sighed. "_Fine._"

Another flash. He was pushing them away with the Force, directly towards the buildings. Anakin's mind saw Plo dying regardless of the situation and despite my words…

"_Sorry, love…_" he sighed. "_I just really want to kill him..._"

I touched his boot and he looked down for a brief moment. I felt something change in the environment around us. Something built off of pure rage was overwhelming my senses…

"Do you sense that?" I said out loud.

Anakin's head lifted, as did the others'. I saw Anakin think quickly once again. He lurched forward and kicked Plo in the gut, swinging around to kick another Jedi.

I scrambled to get up. I almost tripped over the dead man's body, but Anakin caught me. Or at least I thought _Anakin _grabbed me. I looked up to see Vader, his golden eyes like fire. "Be careful now. We wouldn't want to lose you…" he said, sarcasm dripping from his tongue.

He stared at me a moment longer before running over in Anakin's direction. He leapt into the air and threw his fist out before crashing onto the cement. A large wave blew from his body as his fist connected with the ground.

Anakin was slammed against a building, as were the other Jedi. I watched in horror as Vader's red blade ignited and he began to slaughter the Jedi.

Plo was beside Anakin and both looked pretty beat up. Plo shook his head a bit to clear his thoughts before he realized Anakin was right next to him. Once again, I watched in horror as Plo went for Anakin's throat.

Vader finished slaughtering the last Jedi before turning towards Ani and Plo. He left his gloved hand and began to strangle Plo. "No!" I screamed. "Let him go!"

I tried to get up, but my body wouldn't let me. Plo released Anakin without wanting to.

Ani lifted his head after regaining his breath. His eyes met mine and he saw how terrified I was. He stood up and Force-pushed Vader. The two growled lowly at each other before sabers were ignited and both men charged each other.

Plo got up quickly and ran to me. "Little Soka, are you injured?"

I shook my head, feeling that I couldn't speak. I stared at Anakin, watching his fury and determination as he spun around and connected sabers with Vader continuously. "Stop!" I managed to scream at the top of my lungs.

Anakin skidded backwards and looked at me, but Vader continued. "Ani!"

He had just enough time to bend backwards to avoid the swipe. "Damn it!" he shouted. "Stop, you bastard! The damn fight is over!"

Vader managed to connect his boot with Anakin's chest, throwing him onto his back. Vader's blood red blade hovered directly above Anakin's chest. Both men were breathing heavily as they glared at each other. "Don't you _ever _challenge me again, you kriffing idiot. I am a Sith Lord and I will not hesitate to send you down to the very bottomless pit of hell."

"You'll be stuck with me once your pathetic life ends," Anakin snarled. "You call yourself a Sith Lord…" he scoffed. "You're just like any other Force-sensitive lifeform."

"My anger can destroy thousands! You haven't seen my complete wrath yet."

"Nor have you seen mine."

Plo helped me up and looked at the two. "I believe an explanation is in order."

Both men looked at him. I moved over to them and looked at Vader for one moment. He quickly deactivated his blade and I knelt down beside Anakin, helping him into a sitting position. "Are you okay?" I asked, running my fingers through his hair.

"I'm fine, Ahsoka," he snapped.

I flinched at his voice, not liking the roughness or anger within it. He must have realized that. "Sorry," he sighed. "I'm all right. Are you?"

I nodded silently and he stroked my right lek. "Don't touch her!" Plo shouted.

"She's my Force damn girlfriend. I love her and I, quite frankly, don't give a damn about what you don't want me to do to her. You already failed as her father. You couldn't stop her from sleeping with me."

"Don't start this, please," I whispered, begging him.

"Had I known you were drugging her, I would have stepped in!"

"_Drugging _her?"

"Yes, you kriffing drug addict. Everyone in the temple knows that you were drugging her. Padawan Offee attempted to save your reputation and utterly failed. She has been… _removed _from duties for a short time."

My heart broke at the thought of Barriss being locked up in her quarters without missions or other means of socializing. She wouldn't be able to see Cody for a while… and it was my fault…

I held Anakin's head against my chest, not wanting him to get up and hurt himself or Plo. I could feel his pain, especially since Vader hadn't been so kind to him recently. Trainings were hell for Anakin…

"I have never forced Ahsoka into a situation. I love her."

"Oh, so you didn't force her into sleeping with you? You sick bastard. She's a minor! You're over twenty years old!"

"You don't think I know that? Plo, I'm the one that frakked her! I knew how old she was and I know that she was very willing!"

"I highly doubt that," he scoffed.

"If you two are done arguing about the pathetic alien. We all know that no one will ever be completely satiated with ending this argument."

"Stay out of this!" Plo and Anakin snapped. I ran my fingers through Anakin's hair as his glare returned to Plo's mask.

Vader rolled his eyes and sighed. "I could just kill the Kel Dor. Problems solved, eh? Oh, wait. You stopped me from killing him, so now he's yours to deal with."

I helped Ani up and he groaned in pain. His arm draped over my shoulder. I looked up at his face and flinched at bit as he cringed in pain. "I'm sorry, Ani."

Plo growled in his mask. Anakin looked at him briefly before pushing me out of the way. Vader caught me once again and Plo's fingers wrapped around Anakin's neck, lifting him into the air.

Anakin gripped Plo's wrist with his mechanical fingers. I could hear the gears whirring and grinding, Plo's wrist beginning to fracture and Anakin's determined groaning.

He looked distressed as his fingers clenched tighter around Plo's wrist. A loud snap echoed through the alley followed by a gasp, a thud, and a muffled scream.

Anakin landed on his back, but quickly regained the breath he'd lost. He flipped himself over and pushed himself up. He ran to me and pulled me away from Vader.

Anakin's neck was beginning to bruise. One mark was exposed on the right side, but four were on the left. Plo dug his fingers pretty deep into his skin…

I rubbed his neck and he hissed. "That frakking hurts!" he snapped.

I frowned and moved my hand down to his chest. His heart was racing rapidly and uncontrollably. "Plo, I think it would be best if you just left. Anakin's too hurt to fight you."

"Then he is _weak._"

"Stop taunting him!" I shouted before Anakin could reply. "Anakin could _easily _kick your ass! Why can't you just get over the fact that I'm _with _Anakin? Yes, he took my virginity, but I was _more _than willing to give it to him. There are things Anakin knows about me that I've told no one else! He understands me and he's helped me through so much! I _love _him for that!"

"What exactly has he _helped _you with?"

Anakin held me tighter, attempting to comfort me. "You don't have to tell him anything if it hurts you, Ahsoka. I don't want you to hurt…" he whispered.

"No. He needs to know. I want him to stop hurting _you!_" I shouted up at him. At some point during the argument, Vader had taken his leave. I couldn't blame him.

Anakin bit his lip and nodded, motioning for me to continue. He held me against him, trying his best to make things easier for me. He wanted me to know that he was here for me no matter what.

"I was tortured by the other younglings. I was beaten and damn near close to being raped several times. I started self-harming and it made me feel wonderful. I had scars and cuts all over my body. I was going to kill myself until Masters Yoda and Windu called me to the Council chamber. I thought that maybe someone found out about me hurting myself. That's when Anakin chose me as his Padawan. I didn't trust him at first and I put him through so much hell the first few weeks. He witnessed me hurting myself time and time again and he always forced me to stop myself. Overtime, I began to trust and love him. Master Plo, Anakin _saved _me. He's my hero and my lover. You can't take him away from me."

Plo was completely silent. I sensed his shock and hurt, but there was nothing I could do. I couldn't take back the words I'd said. I let myself out finally. Anakin was _proud _of me and I could feel it. I turned a little and leaned my head against his chest. I wrapped my arms around his waist and closed my eyes, waiting for my words to sink in with Plo.

Anakin rubbed my back gently. "Kill… yourself?" Plo whispered, pain deep within his voice.

"That _is _what she said."

Plo looked at Anakin and I could sense the slight respect building from my Kel Dor friend. "I should be grateful to you, Skywalker. You saved my daughter."

That hit me like a saber hilt to the stomach. I hadn't thanked Padme for rescuing Ahso'kin nor had I thanked her for returning my baby to Anakin when he'd arrived. I hadn't even thanked Vader for helping Anakin summon me here…

"I'd do _anything _for her. Believe me, I would," Anakin said sincerely. "I've tried to make her as happy as I can. I've told her several times that she wasn't mine if she wasn't happy. Her happiness is the only thing I want…"

I opened my eyes and looked up at his face. He looked so… sad.

"You have made her happy…" Plo trailed off. "But I still strongly dislike you."

"I understand. I still _strongly _dislike you as well."

I hugged Anakin and he didn't hesitate to return the embrace with a much tighter hold on me. "Love you," he whispered, kissing my forehead.

"You, too."

"Plo, you can't stay here, but you can't tell anyone we're here. If the Council finds us, they'll separate us. Ahsoka needs me and I need her."

"I can't leave her," Plo said quickly.

Vader came back into the alley. "Anakin's right. Plo, you need to leave. If you don't leave willingly, I'll force you off of this planet. Other Jedi are in the main square, so we need to leave now."

I watched as Vader stepped forward, possibly trying to intimidate Plo. I stepped between them quickly. "Don't touch him!"

I saw Vader and Anakin share a quick look. Anakin shook his head and came to stand by me. "Plo, you're going to be locked up in a Force damn cell," Vader sneered. "You won't even see the bitch."

Plo must have sensed Anakin's control snap at the same time I did. We both grabbed his arms and pulled him back before he could lash out at Vader. "Sweetheart, Ani, Anakin," I said quickly as his rage increased. "Close your eyes, my love."

His eyes slowly began to close and his anger began to die down a bit. His body became calmer, more peaceful than it has been recently. He looked over his shoulder. "Thanks," he sighed. "I'm fine now."

We reluctantly let him go and he quickly took my hand. He started to walk away, dragging me with him. "_I don't want to start anything else_."

I looked up at his angry face. I bit my lip, trying not to do or say anything that would upset him any further to the point where he completely blew up.

He stopped and held me against him for a moment. "Love, don't worry about making me mad. I should know not to take it out on you by now. I love you even if you say something stupid, not that you ever really do... I say stupid things all the time."

"I love you anyway." I smiled up at him and we began walking again.

He held my hand tightly in his, never wanting to let me go.

We made it back to the building, Plo and Vader not too far behind us.


	47. Chapter 47

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I felt Ahsoka's concern as we continued through the halls we'd grown accustomed to in the last few months. Padme's 'home' was decent…

She came out of the kitchen, her hair a mess."Hey, Ani – Vader, what's wrong?"

Vader stormed past Ahsoka and me, walking into the kitchen. Padme watched him the way Ahsoka watched me. She looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"Ani, don't –"

"Can you have that bastard's tongue cut out?" I growled. "All he's done is insult Ahsoka. That mother –"

"I'll handle him," she whispered. "You two go – Master Plo?"

"Today is just full of surprises. Senator Amidala, how are you alive?"

"All will be explained later, Master. My husband needs me right now. I'll see you all tonight for dinner, I suppose?"

"Of course," Ahsoka replied for me. I sighed and nodded at Padme. Ahsoka pulled me away from them and led me down the corridor to our bedroom.

We entered the room and she turned around. I immediately began to kiss her as passionately as I could without hurting her. Her lekku were smashed against my chest and our arms wound around each other tightly. Her fingers ran through my hair quickly and she moaned against my lips.

I slowly slid my tongue between her lips and her teeth lightly bit down on it. "_Can I explore you today?_"

I laughed quietly and pulled my tongue back into my mouth. I parted my lips and awaited her warm tongue. It slid into my mouth and danced with mine.

Before we knew it, we were on the bed. She was beneath me with her lower half pressed against mine. I began to groan as I felt my need for her become much stronger. "Take me," she whispered, closing her eyes.

I nibbled on her neck for a few moments, licking the skin gently. I slid my mechanical hand beneath her shirt, rubbing her stomach. Her hands were on my shoulders, rubbing slowly.

"Ani," she moaned, arching her back. A door slid open and we both jumped. A slight gasp came from the corner of the room. I looked over to see Renee holding Ahso'kin. "Damn," I whispered. I pulled myself away from Ahsoka and slid off of the bed to take Ahso'kin. "I'm sorry. I forgot that you were still in here. Thank you so much for watching her for us."

"Don't apologize, Master Anakin."

"_Master _Anakin? Renee, you're part of our family as well. You watched over our daughter and kept her safe. I'm just Anakin, all right?" She lifted Ahso'kin into my arms and I gently cradled her against my chest.

She nodded slowly and I rested a hand on her shoulder. "Just Anakin, Renee."

She nodded again and quickly exited the room. I turned back to Ahsoka, watching her carefully. "She's uncomfortable with your kindness."

"I don't like being called '_Master_.' It's…"

She slid off of the bed and hugged me, smiling at Ahso'kin. "I understand, Ani. We both have issues with slavery."

I sighed and kissed the light amount of hair that Ahso'kin had on her head. "Just be lucky that you didn't have to grow up very long in slavery."

I thought back to all of the beatings I'd taken for my mother and the ones she herself took. I put my hand on my left cheek as I remembered one of the most hurtful slaps I'd ever received. I winced a little, remembering how much it had hurt.

"I'm sorry, Anakin."

I shook my head. "It's in the past. I'm all right now. I've got you and my baby girl…" I whispered, smiling at her. I kissed Soka's lips quickly. "You two are all I need."

I moved to put Ahso'kin in her crib. I tucked her in and watched her for a few moments. Ahsoka's arms wound around my waist and her face pressed against my back. "I told you that you were a wonderful father, Anakin."

Something that had been racking my mind lately was something that I wasn't sure I wanted to talk to her about. I'd been locking my thoughts away from her because I don't want her to know _just_ yet. I knew Ahsoka wanted to marry me someday, but what if the commitment destroyed us?

I was willing to commit myself to her, but I didn't want to just drop down on one knee and ask her to marry me. Things had been really stressful lately. We're preparing to battle the ultimate evil of the Republic by joining the dark side.

We'd had a very short-lived conversation about marriage about a month ago. She seemed to be all for it, but she wanted something beautiful and amazing. I loved the thoughts that ran through her mind as she thought about a perfect scene for a marriage, but there was no way I could pull off something so magical for her…

"Are you okay?"

"Hm?" I asked, shaking my head. I looked over my shoulder to see her staring up at me with a large amount of concern.

"I was talking to you and you had this blank look on your face. Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry, love. What were you saying?" I asked, turning around to face her.

"I was asking you what you thought about possibly getting married sometime soon." I was shocked as hell when I heard that. I knew I'd locked myself away from her. There was no way she could have picked up on that. My long silence concerned her. "Forget I asked. I'm sorry."

I heard her thoughts loud and clear. "_I did something wrong…_"

I quickly took her face and kissed her passionately. I opened a slight area of my thoughts to her, keeping the whole marriage thing under wraps. "I love you," I thought to her. "You did _nothing _wrong."

I felt her tears on my fingers and I quickly pulled away, opening my eyes. "Don't cry, Soka…"

She hurriedly wiped her eyes before closing them. "Talk to me, love."

She shook her head, keeping her silence. She covered her face, but I knew she was silently crying behind her hands. I bit my lip, feeling useless. What was I supposed to do?

"Soka, talk to me."

"What did I do wrong?" she whispered, her voice sounding strangled and muffled.

I pulled her hands into my own and held them tightly. "Look at me, Ahsoka." She looked away from me and frowned deeply. "Ahsoka Tano," I snapped. "_Please _look at me."

My pleading voice must have gotten through to her. She opened her tear-filled eyes and stared up at my face. "I love you more than anything. You've done nothing wrong, my love."

"Then why?"

"I want to make the whole thing perfect for you. The first time we made love was great, but marriage is something that I want to go overboard on for you. I want this to be something you'll think back to and love every moment of it."

She shook her head. "Just forget it, Anakin. It doesn't matter."

"It does matter, Soka. It matters a lot."

She moved away from me and crawled across the bed, plopping down onto the pillows. She curled up into a defensive ball and didn't even look at me. I bit my lip, not entirely sure if she wanted me beside her at this moment or not.

She lifted her head and looked back at me. She outstretched her left hand. "I want you."

I smiled weakly and quickly moved towards her. I lay down beside her and held her hand. "Make love to me, Anakin."

"Soka –"

"I don't want to talk about it anymore. It's just something we'll never get to. I don't blame you for not wanting to marry me."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I snapped, growing angrier by the moment. I wanted to talk to her about this and I wanted to know what she meant by that last statement.

"Anakin, I'm not perfect by any means. I'm a kriffing alien! Why would you want me? You should be ashamed to walk with some slave through town. You should be ashamed that you have a mutant daughter. You –"

Tears were forming in my eyes. "I don't give a damn about any of that. You're perfect to me, Ahsoka. Why can't you see that? I want you because you're perfect! You're no slave either! You're my Ahsoka!" I whispered. "Ahso'kin is _my _daughter. _We _made her. I will _never _get rid of either of you. I love you both so Force damn much…"

She tightened her grip on my hand and I returned the tightness. "You're mine, Ahsoka. You're mine forever and always. Don't you _ever _forget that."

"Prove it."

I groaned and crawled on top of her. I straddled her waist and began to kiss her neck furiously, biting here and there. She moaned and tried to arch her back. I rubbed her breasts gently as I continued to kiss her skin.

I slowly began to slip her clothes off. Once hers were completely off, I slid down her body and began to lick her entrance. I put my hands on her thighs and held her. She began to moan uncontrollably.

After a few minutes, she was ready. I was usually always ready for her. I got off of the bed quickly and stripped myself down. She sat up quickly as I got onto the bed and moved up her body again. She grabbed my member and began to stroke _me _gently. I closed my eyes as her grip tightened or loosened around it. Her hand slid up and down until I felt like I was going to burst.

"Lay down," I whispered.

She nodded and laid on her back, staring at me. I hovered above her and began to kiss her lips. I slowly and gently began to slide my member into her. She dug her nails into my shoulders and began to pant. I kissed her jaw, closing my eyes for a moment.

I began to thrust a little faster after a few minutes. I continued to kiss her as I did so. I watched her face. She looked pleased, but she also looked like she was hurting.

I stopped and slid out of her. "What's wrong?" I breathed.

She shook her head. "Keep going."

"Am I hurting you, Ahsoka?"

Again, she shook her head. "Don't stop."

"My love, I don't want to hurt you." I rolled off of her and held her against my side.

"Ani," she whispered, tears falling down her cheeks. I sensed her sadness and I heard her thoughts. She was still upset about the whole marriage situation.

She rolled off of the bed and got dressed quickly. I stood up and pulled my pants on – my belt was barely attached to it. I watched her try to stop herself from crying.

I sighed, quickly crossing the distance, and pulled her against me. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her shoulder. While she held me tightly, I extended my mechanical fingers towards the nightstand beside the bed. I opened the drawer and lifted a small blue box from within.

I levitated it into my hand and clutched it tightly before placing it in a compartment on my belt. I licked her neck, nibbling her skin gently. She moaned and rubbed my shoulder. "Ani…"

I pulled back and stared into her eyes. I held her right hand tightly in my flesh one. "Ahsoka, I love you. I love you with every fiber of my being. I never thought I'd love anyone as much as I love you." I stroked her cheek with my free hand and stared into her eyes as lovingly as I possibly could.

"Soka, I'm_ going_ to spend the rest of my life with you and our daughter. When I met you, I _knew_ there was something about you." I put a lot of emphasis on the last line. I had a feeling that something special would come out of our partnership and I was correct. I laughed a little before I continued. "You drew me in with a single look. You're such a beautiful, young woman and I couldn't imagine anyone better to be the mother of my children or my lover."

I slowly backed up a bit, releasing her hand slowly so I could reach into the compartment on the backside of my belt. She watched my face the entire time, a few tears continuing to trail down her beautiful cheeks. I knelt down on my right knee and held the box up, opening it slowly. "Ahsoka Tano, will you marry me?"


	48. Chapter 48

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I thought Anakin was lying to me the entire time he was speaking, but I listened to every word carefully. I hadn't expected anything to come out of it except for more sex in the end, but, needless to say, I was _beyond _surprised when he dropped down onto his knee in front of me and held up a small box with a beautiful, silver ring inside of it.

His beautiful voice whispered, "Ahsoka Tano, will you marry me?" My heart stopped beating and I began to cry harder.

I was upset with myself for a fraction of a second because I thought I'd forced him to propose, but then I realized that _he _had bought the ring and was ready to do it. That feeling had transformed into an extreme amount of happiness. He was staring up at me, concerned by my tears. "Yes, Anakin, yes!" I whispered happily, not wanting to wake Ahso'kin up.

He stood up and smiled widely. He took my hand and slid the ring onto the proper finger. I jumped on him, throwing my arms around his neck.

He backed up at bit, surprised by my sudden action, but he laughed all the same. His arms wound around me tightly as he held me. "I love you, Soka," he whispered near my montrals.

"I love you, too."

I couldn't help but stare at the ring once we separated. His flesh hand caressed my cheek and I lifted my eyes to stare into his. He wiped away the trail of tears on my cheeks and smiled at me. "I love feeling you this happy. It makes _me _happy."

"I'm glad you're happy, Ani. I'm _beyond _happy, my love."

I could feel his happiness and excitement as he rubbed my arm. "I'm not sure when we'll actually get married, but at least you know I want to marry you."

"We're _engaged,_" I whispered. The words made me smile wider.

"Yes," he chuckled. "I've wanted to do that for a while, but…"

I lifted my hand to brush his hair out of his face. "I understand."

"I'm glad you do."

Ahso'kin began to whimper in her crib and our attention immediately snapped towards her. He moved before I could, lifting her carefully into his arms. "Shh," he whispered, rocking her from side to side slowly.

I smiled and sat on the edge of the bed, watching him. After a few minutes, he looked up from her to glance at me. "What are you smiling about?" he whispered, raising an eyebrow.

"You, my wonderful fiancé."

He smiled. I stood up as he began to lower Ahso'kin into her crib. I tucked her in after she was laid onto the tiny mattress.

We both moved back at the same time and immediately grabbed each other. His mechanical hand was positioned several inches below the tips of my montrals and his flesh hand was placed on the center of my rear lek. My arms were around his neck.

"Take me to bed," I whispered, hoping he understood what I wanted.

He kissed my lek and lifted me into his arms. He carried me back to the bed and set me down on my back. He crawled on top of me, but I told him to wait. He moved back and sat on the bed, waiting patiently as I'd asked.

"Lay on your back, Ani."

Again, he did what I wanted. He lay down and allowed me to control everything right now. I moved towards him slowly and began to slide his pants down his legs.

After a few moments, I'd exposed his erect member. I lowered my face towards it and licked around the tip, exciting him. He grabbed the bed sheets and closed his eyes, moaning.

I licked the shaft a few times before finally taking his member in my mouth. I ran my hand up and down the part of the shaft that wasn't in my mouth while I bobbed my head up and down.

I loved doing this because I loved tasting him. He was so hard and so _sweet._

He moaned repeatedly until I finally broke away for breath, though I kept stroking the skin. "I want you," he whispered, breathing heavily.

I smiled and moved to lie down on my back. He basically jumped onto me and began kissing my lek and face, slowly running his fingers along my sides.

His hands slid beneath my oversized shirt and began to gently rub my breasts. His thumb played with my nipple and shivers ran up my spine.

As soon as I'd arched my back, his hand slid beneath me to hold me against him. The more he played with my breasts or kissed me, the more excited I'd become.

He pulled back a little and slid his shirt over his head as I moved his pants down to strip him completely. Once he was exposed, I slid his shirt over my head. Since he wore loose shirts, it ended up oversized on me and I didn't really have to wear anything beneath it.

I relaxed onto the bed as he crawled on top of me and began to kiss my jaw. He held himself up with his right hand while sliding his member around my entrance with his left. "Take me," I whispered breathlessly.

He kissed my lips and gently entered me. He lifted his head to stare into my eyes and watch my face as he began to thrust inside of me. I put my hands above my head, gripping the mattress tightly. He kissed my jaw again. "Hold onto me, love," he whispered.

"I don't want to hurt you," I gasped as he went a bit deeper.

"You won't."

I moved my hands to his shoulders and dug my fingers into his skin, holding onto him like he wanted me to. "I love you, Soka," he whispered, his voice a bit rougher.

I couldn't say anything because I was enveloped in pleasure. He was sliding further into me and thrusting a bit quicker.

I felt like I was going to release soon, but I wasn't sure if he wanted me to. We'd only just begun making love a few minutes ago and I thought I was all ready to let go. I let my hands fall back onto the bed and he took my right one with his flesh hand, intertwining our fingers.

I closed my eyes and moaned, holding his hand tighter. "Let go," he whispered. He _knew._

I tried to hold on, but he kept kissing me and thrusting in just like he always did. I gave up and held his hand tighter, practically fracturing his knuckles as I let go. I let out a small scream and he quickly kissed me, trying to muffle the scream so as not to wake Ahso'kin up.

My body shook with pleasure as I came on his member and the bed. Once I was finished, he kissed me gently and passionately. Sweat was dripping from his midsection onto mine, building up with my own sweat.

I opened my eyes once his lips moved away from mine. I smiled up at him and he smiled at me.

He got me to let go again before he finally came inside of me. He slid out of me slowly, not wanting to hurt me, and rolled over to collapse beside me. His chest was heaving and he was smiling.

He closed his eyes and laughed lightly. "I love you," I whispered, lifting my hand to run my fingers through his sweaty hair.

"I love you, too, beautiful."

I cuddled up against him for almost fifteen minutes before a knock echoed through the room. I knew he was still exhausted, so I got up and pulled his shirt on. He covered himself up with the blanket and watched me as I went to answer the door.

Padme stood there, smiling at me. Her eyes widened when she saw my clothing. "Was I interrupting something?"

Her eyes glanced into the room and she saw Anakin lying on the bed. "No," I whispered. "Is something wrong?"

She shook her head. "I just wanted to let you two know that dinner is almost ready. I have food for Ahso'kin, too. Vader ran out a few minutes ago to get some more."

"That's very… kind of you both. Thank you, Padme. We'll be there shortly."

She smiled and nodded before leaving. I backed up and the door slid to a close. I turned around to see Anakin scowling at the ceiling. "What's wrong?"

"_Vader._"

"Ani, he's just –"

"A bastard," he finished, not saying what I'd actually meant.

"Do you want to shower quickly?" I asked, changing the subject.

He relaxed and smiled weakly at me, nodding. I extended my hand towards him and he quickly moved the blanket so he could climb off of the bed and come over to me.

I led him into the refresher and we quickly washed each other.

Afterwards, he wrapped a towel around my body and wrapped one around his waist. I ran my hands over his pectorals before tracing his abs.

He chuckled and leaned forward to kiss me. I tilted my head towards him just in time. I pressed my lower half against his and he shivered, moaning into the kiss. "Sweetheart, it's time to eat…" he whispered. "Don't excite me just yet."

I giggled and ran my fingers through his hair. "Okay, love."

I led him back into the living area and we quickly got dressed. Well, he did anyway. He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Having a hard time choosing something to wear, I see."

"Well, you said I can't excite you…"

He chuckled and reached into the drawer, pulling out a light blue shirt that was a bit longer than it should be. He moved around me and bent down to the lower drawers, pulling out black pants that would show off my ass and legs.

"Wear these?" he asked, holding up both articles of clothing.

I rolled his eyes and kissed his cheek. "For being a man, you certainly do have good taste in clothing."

"I just know what looks good on you, Soka. I'm not all that good with clothes…"

He rummaged through my top drawer and pulled out a blue bra with matching underwear. He held them up a bit and licked his lips.

"You're amazing," I laughed.

"Let me dress you."

He tore the towel away, tossing it onto the bed. I slid my arms through the bra straps and he hooked it up behind my back. He bent down and held my underwear out so I could step into it. Once I did, he slid it up my legs, tracing over my skin with his fingers.

He kissed my covered entrance, closing his eyes. I smiled at him as he pulled back to grab the pants. I took them from him and pulled them on.

He helped me get the shirt on and his hands rested on my hips. I put my hands on his shoulders. "Can you please stay this happy for me?"

"As long as that bastard doesn't insult you. I swear, if you calls you a bitch at any point –"

"I will leap across the table and hold you down," I threatened.

He looked shocked for a moment, but chuckled. "I'd enjoy that."

"If he calls me a bitch, forget him, okay? He's not worth your time. He's trying to piss you off."

"It's working."

I ran my fingers through his partially soaked hair and he leaned forward to kiss my forehead. "I'll try to be as civilized as I possibly can be."

I smiled up at him. "Thank you."

He hugged me quickly before walking over to Ahso'kin. He lifted her into his arms and walked back over to me. He lowered his right hand and I took it quickly.

"Well, off to hell we go," he muttered.

"Don't say that. It won't be that bad."

Right after I said that, I had a very, _very _bad feeling…


	49. Chapter 49

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I felt anxious as hell. Ahsoka was thinking _very _suggestive thoughts and I wanted nothing more than to fulfill her thoughts.

I wanted to tear that shirt right off of her beautiful body…

She was sitting in front of Ahso'kin, slowly spoon-feeding her that mush that Vader had run out to get.

I glanced over at Padme to see her and Vader sharing a look. He looked upset and flustered as he attempted to eat his… _food._ Padme appeared to be pressuring him into something.

"Anakin," he said quickly, finally snapping apparently. He gained my attention almost immediately. "Padme wants me to –" Padme growled lowly. "_I _want to apologize for how I acted earlier. I'm sorry for offending you…" He glanced over at Ahsoka. "And Ahsoka, I apologize for my harsh language. You're not a bitch…"

She glanced over at me and I gave her an unsure look. "It's all right, Vader. I forgive you," she whispered. Ahso'kin whined a bit as she waited for the next spoonful of her food.

Ahsoka went back to feeding her and I continued to stare at them. I was absolutely amazed by how she acted with Ahso'kin. When she'd whine, Soka's attention snapped towards her immediately.

"Is that a ring I see?" Padme asked suddenly.

Ahsoka and I both glanced at her. "You bet it is," she said happily, smiling widely.

Padme pushed her seat back and dashed towards us. She took Ahsoka's hand and inspected the ring, smiling. "It's beautiful!" she whispered. "I'm so happy for you both."

Ahsoka and Padme's happiness washed into me and it made me feel good. Vader, on the other hand, grew extremely uncomfortable with the ladies' emotions.

He groaned and got up, walking into the kitchen. The ladies were too distracted to realize this. I got up and followed him. "Not a fan of making women happy, I assume?"

"Shut up, you bastard," he growled.

"Damn," I chuckled. "Who shoved their lightsaber hilt up _your _ass?"

"You're really beginning to push my patience, Skywalker."

"Kiss my ass."

He shook his head. "That's what you've got your fiancé for."

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "Don't tell me the all powerful Sith Lord is having trouble with the ladies? Damn, you're pathetic."

"Would you like me to kill your precious bitch?"

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. "If you lay a single finger on her, I _will _kill you."

"I suggest you keep your mouth closed if you want her to see the light of day once more."

Padme came into the kitchen a moment later, glancing between the two of us. "Vader, can you please relax?" she whispered.

"Oh, so you'll scold me, but you'll say nothing to this _thing?_"

I rolled my eyes and muttered, "At least I'm the real deal."

A massive wave crashed against my face and I fell backwards, slamming my head into the floor.

I groaned as my vision blurred for a moment. "Ani!"

"Vader!"

Hands were on my chest and face moments later and I felt like I was going to pass out. I felt extremely dizzy and whatever I tried to say came out garbled.

**Later.**

I woke up to feel moisture on me. I lurched forward and gasped. "It's okay, sweetheart."

I put my hands on my face and closed my eyes, attempting to calm my heart. "What happened?"

"Vader gave you a concussion," she whispered. She was rubbing a wet cloth over my forehead and I realized that I'd been sweating.

"Nice."

"You're not mad?"

"I feel drunk," I muttered. "I'm not in the mood to go pick a fight with him."

I lay back down and she crawled onto my chest, lying down on top of me. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tightly. "Where's Ahso'kin?"

"Asleep."

Ahsoka rolled off of me as a light knock hit the door. She motioned for me to stay on the bed and I frowned. She pulled her robe tighter around her and opened the door. "Is he awake?"

I growled lowly and Ahsoka turned around. "Stop it," she whispered. "Yes, he's awake."

Vader stepped through the threshold and I didn't meet his eyes. "Anakin –"

"Get out."

Ahsoka came back to the bed and sat beside me, rubbing my stomach slowly. "Can you listen –"

"I said '_get out_.'"

I rolled over and Ahsoka ran her hand along my side. "Damn it, Skywalker," he growled. I closed my eyes and smirked. Pissing him off made my day. Well, unless he knocks me out. "Will you let me apologize so I can go back to Padme?"

"Nope," I said, chuckling.

He snarled. "Hey, _bitch_, tell your bastard –"

I rolled off of the bed quickly and leapt towards him, slamming him directly in the face. He fell back and landed on his ass as I began to seethe. "Ani, please!"

Ahsoka was tugging on my arm, but I was ready to kill him. I was getting fed up with him calling her that. That was no way to treat the most wonderful woman in the entire galaxy. Ahsoka pulled my arms back with all of her strength and it _still _wasn't enough. Her strength and the wails of my daughter is what finally stopped me.

"Get out before I change my mind," I growled, turning away from him. I heard him stumble slightly as I stormed towards my daughter's crib. I pulled her out and held her against my chest, shushing her while rocking slowly.

The door hissed to a close and I closed my eyes. "What is it with you two?" she exclaimed.

"You already know how fed up with this I already am. I hate that Padme cloned me. That was bad enough, but now he's calling you a bitch."

"You've called me a bitch before."

"In a teasing manner!" I shouted, opening my eyes while turning to face her. "I love you! He doesn't! There's a difference, Ahsoka!"

She put her hand on my back and stared up at my face. I closed my eyes and frowned. "Relax, my love. He's not worth the aggravation you're feeling right now, okay?"

I sighed and nodded slowly. Her soft voice calmed Ahso'kin down considerably. Children didn't like when their parents were screaming...

Ahsoka took Ahso'kin from me and held her while I walked over to the bed and planted my face into the pillows.

After a few minutes, the bed dipped beside me and a large amount of warmth cuddled up against me. I rolled over to face her and she smiled.

"I love you, Anakin."

I leaned forward and kissed her. "I love you."

She gave me a sly, little look and I knew what she wanted almost instantaneously. "Hey, we just got Ahso'kin back to sleep," I teased.

"I won't be too loud."

"Oh?"

"Well, maybe."

I smirked and sat up a bit. She sat up and we both began to remove our own articles of clothing. Everything was quickly discarded to the floor and she crawled on top of me. "Oh?" I asked again, teasing her.

"You've been under a lot of stress lately. You just lie still, okay?"

She quickly kissed me a few times and smiled before slowly trailing kisses along my chest, abs, stomach, and lower area. She stroked my member with her tongue for a few moments, keeping her eyes on me.

She took a small portion of the tip into her mouth and licked it several times. She pulled back, teasing _me._ She smiled and I couldn't help but smile back.

Her face lowered once again and she took a bit more of my member into her mouth and swirled her tongue around it. I moaned and clutched the bed sheets tightly. She began to slowly move her head back and forth, sucking on _me._

My hips bucked every now and then, but she'd tell me that she wanted to do this herself, so I had to relax myself a bit. Her right hand was on the part of my member that she didn't take into her mouth while the left was rubbing my right side.

Each time I moaned her name, she would giggle slightly. She pulled away only to take in a few extra breaths every now and then.

After almost twenty minutes of this, she finally took the entire thing into her mouth. She was gagging slightly, but this was what _she _wanted to do. I wasn't forcing her to do anything.

Despite the amazing feeling she was giving me, I still felt concerned. Her eyes were closed and tears were trailing down her cheeks as she sucked on me and took my full length in. I sat up a bit and put my hands on her shoulders. "Hey," I whispered.

She broke away and stared up at me. "If it hurts you, just _stop._"

"I can do this," she whispered, gasping a little.

"Sweetheart, this isn't meant to be something you just rush into. Take your time and do _not _push yourself, okay?"

"I want to make you feel good..."

"You do that with a smile, my love. I don't need this or sex. I just want to make _you _smile and then I will feel good."

"Ani –"

"Soka, please."

She bit her lip and nodded slowly. "I like doing it, but it _did _hurt..."

I pulled her up my body a little and she rested her head beside mine. Her left hand rested just above my heart and her eyes locked with mine. "I love you, Ahsoka. I don't love you for the amazing sex we have or the beautiful body you possess. I love you for _you._ We met under very... _unorthodox _situations. You were cutting yourself and I was frakking myself up _completely._ Look how far we've come."

"It's like I fell in love with my counselor," she teased.

"Then you would have fallen for Luminara."

"Ew!" she exclaimed, laughing. "No! I just meant that _you _helped me so much more than she did."

"I tried my best to keep you satisfied even then."

"And you did a wonderful job at it, my dear."

I smiled and kissed the tip of her montral. "Anakin, can you make love to me?"

"Only if you're feeling up to it, Soka. I don't know if –"

"Are you only saying that because you want me to go brush my teeth?"

I smirked. "Who's on top?"

"You."

I quickly flipped her onto her back and began to kiss her with a fierce passion. I took her by surprise each time I kissed her. She moaned against my lips and her fingers ran through my hair crazily.

I moved my flesh hand towards her entrance and felt her wetness. I cocked an eyebrow at her and she smiled. I didn't have very much to do for her this time.

I positioned my member near her entrance and began to kiss her again. She intertwined the fingers of her left hand and my right one. Her knees were bent and she was _so _ready.

I slowly slid myself into her, moving slowly as I continued to kiss her. Her grip on my hand tightened a little, but, luckily, it was my mechanical hand, so she couldn't hurt me no matter how hard she tried.

She arched her back a bit as I slid further into her later in the process. My body was ready to just release everything into her, but I wanted us both to let go at the same time.

I held off for another twenty minutes until I felt that she was going to release. She cried out just before she let go and I went with her.

I closed my eyes and we both moaned with immense pleasure. "Holy Force," I whispered, collapsing beside her.

"You aren't kidding," she laughed.

I kissed her slowly, devouring her lips. "Can we do that again?"

"Maybe in a little bit, my love. I can't do that multiple times within a very short time."

She nodded and cuddled up against my side, rubbing my bare chest. "I love you, Ani."

"Love you, Soka."


	50. Chapter 50

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I crashed down onto my bed and sighed. Soon afterwards, Ahsoka collapsed beside me and continued to breathe heavily. Renee watched us lie there for a few moments before I motioned for her to take her leave and go relax.

"Worst… training… _ever…_"

"Hey, you only fought Vader _once –_"

"And he kicked my ass because you pissed him off."

"He's the one that broke my Force damn wrist!"

She pushed herself up and grabbed a med pack from the closet. "Soka, just –"

She sighed and came back, sitting cross legged in front of me. "Let me see it," she whispered.

I carefully moved my left arm and she bit her lip. "I know, I know," I sighed. "It looks _terrible._"

She shook her head and pulled a bunch of gauze and bacta cloth out of the pack. She gently placed the bacta around my wrist and wrapped the gauze around it. It hurt quite a bit, but I didn't want to depress her further.

I was glad to cover up the scars nonetheless. They were a daily reminder that I'd failed her and myself. I'd gotten her to stop cutting and she'd gotten me to stop drinking and drugging myself. Then I'd begun doing what she did…

She placed her left hand against my cheek and smiled sadly at me. "You're beautiful," I whispered. She moved closer to me and I held her as tightly as I could.

She was trembling against me and that worried me. I glanced down at her and kissed the center of her Akul headdress. "What's wrong?"

"I just don't want anything to happen to you _or _us._"_

I chuckled. "I can kick Vader's ass. He and I have the same weakness."

"Oh?"

"We are weak in regards to protecting the ones we love."

"I see, but doesn't love make _you _stronger?"

"Loving you makes me stronger unless I can't save you from something. I have something to fight for though. Ahso'kin has also made me stronger. I love you _both._"

I rubbed her shoulder as she continued to shake in my arms. I could tell that something else had been on her mind and she was trying to avoid it as best as she could. "C-can I ask you something?" she whispered.

She held my mechanical hand tightly as she pulled back to look directly at me. She stared into my eyes and looked afraid. "Of course," I replied quickly, not wanting to hesitate at all.

"Would you…" She paused and glanced away from me. I stared at her in curiosity and concern until she looked back at me. "Would you ever want a bigger family?"

"Why wouldn't I?" I laughed. "We're going to be married after all of this Sith junk ends. You, Ahso'kin, and I are going to relax on some remote planet and just live our lives together."

I had just realized that she'd been crying. "Sweetheart, what's going on?"

She wiped her eyes with her free hand and shook her head. I kissed her cheek gently. "Talk to me. Why are you crying?"

She seemed to choke on her tears, staring at me with her mouth open. She made a few sad and painful sounds and my heart froze. "Ani…" she trailed off, closing her eyes. "I think I'm pregnant again…"

I squeezed her hand gently. "You _think _or you _know _you are?"

"I've been feeling really sick, but I'm _afraid _to find out."

"Why?" I asked painfully. I couldn't understand why she wouldn't want to go take a pregnancy test…

"Because I don't want to go through what I went through with Ahso'kin again," she whispered.

"That will _never _happen to you again," I growled. I put my hands on either side of her face despite the fact that my left wrist was screaming at me. I rubbed her cheeks gently. "I will _not _allow that to happen again."

She crashed against me and I held her tightly, kissing her cheek. "Soka, let's go get you checked out."

She sniffled a few times as I rubbed over her back slowly. After a few moments, she nodded and we got off of the bed. I called for Renee to come watch Ahso'kin for us and then we went off to find a medical droid.

She held my hand as the droid scanned her. Her eyes never left mine. "Processing," its monotonous voice said.

"Ani," she whispered, her voice breaking as she began to cry again.

"If you're having another baby, I will do _everything _in my power –"

"Positive."

I stared at her shocked face. "Sweetheart –"

"I can't do this," she said, her voice barely audible.

"Ahsoka, _don't _say that."

"I want it _out!_ I _can't _go through this a second time!" she screamed at me.

I put my hand on the side of her face as she closed her eyes and began to cry harder. "Ahsoka, please…"

"_No!_"

The door opened behind her and Padme entered. "What's going on?" she asked, sounding honestly afraid and concerned for Ahsoka.

Ahsoka buried her face into my chest and continued to cry. I wrapped my bad arm around her, rubbing her skin with my thumb. My good hand rested on her stomach and rubbed small circles over it.

I mouthed '_baby_' to Padme and she looked surprised. "Soka," I whispered, glancing down at her. "I_ will _protect you. I won't let anything happen to _either _of you. Please, _don't _give up. I was too weak to save you last time…"

"Vader believes you've learned enough to defeat Dooku _and _Palpatine. If they're out of the picture, your children and _you two _will be safe."

Ahsoka lifted her head and turned to stare at Padme as she wiped her eyes. "Ani is strong enough to take them both?"

"With Vader's help, of course. I had a vision last night. Ahsoka, you and I can't join them. Anakin and Vader defeated the Sith Lords together."

Ahsoka gasped and held onto me tighter. "They'll kill each other before they kill anyone else!" she screamed.

"They need to work out their differences in the next few days then," Padme whispered.

I hugged Ahsoka and kissed her right montral continuously. Padme left shortly afterward, silently apologizing to me before she left.

**Later.**

I began to thrust into Ahsoka slower now. She held herself up by pressing her palms against my chest. "Am I hurting you?" I asked, stopping altogether.

I wasn't sure if it was the sex in general or just the amount of bouncing we did, but she just didn't seem into it right now and I didn't want to push her too far or hurt her too much.

"I'm just feeling sick."

"Lay down, beautiful."

"I'll be fine. Keep going."

"Lay down," I repeated.

"Anakin."

"_Lay down, damn it._"

She leaned forward, lying on top of me without separating our connected parts. I used the Force and pulled the blanket over us. I closed my eyes and began to rub over her back slowly.

She sighed after a few moments and it didn't sound like she was really happy, so I moved my hand away from her in frustration. "Why did you stop?"

"I thought you didn't like it," I whispered.

"Are you mad at me?"

I opened my eyes and carefully lifted her off of me and scooted her onto the mattress. I got up off of the bed and grabbed my pants, slipping them on quickly. I was about to leave, but she leaned across the bed and grabbed my mechanical hand, holding it tightly. "Don't go…" she pleaded.

I stood with my back to her for a few minutes, trying to gather my scrambled thoughts. I finally just sat down and held my head with my mechanical hand. "What's wrong?" she whispered.

"Just go to sleep, Ahsoka."

She sat up a little and began to rub my shoulders. "Talk to me."

What's been bothering me wasn't the fact that she was pregnant again. I was bothered because she wanted an _abortion._ I could sort of understand her reasoning for wanting to get rid of it, but that didn't mean that I agreed with her…

I glanced over my shoulder slightly, frowning. "Are you getting rid of it?" I whispered, trying to keep all emotion out of my voice.

She rested her chin on my left shoulder and began to kiss my jaw. "Tell me what _you _want."

I leaned against her warm body, feeling her smooth skin, and closed my eyes. Once again, I tried to remain as emotionless as possible so I didn't control her judgment. "_You _have to carry _and _deliver it. The choice is solely based on you."

"Do you want this baby?" she whispered.

I hesitated. I wanted it _more _than _anything,_ but I didn't want to be selfish. She would suffer if I told her to keep the baby. "Tell me what you honestly want, Ani. You're the father."

A few moments of silence hung over us and I couldn't bring myself to remain calm as I attempted to speak. "I want it so badly," I gasped, feeling my heart break. The last thing I wanted to do was pressure her. "But I don't want you to hurt. I feel like a selfish bastard for wanting it, but I _do _want it…"

She grew very silent and I tensed up. Three words changed my mood _entirely._

"I'll keep it."

I lifted my head from my palm and glanced over my shoulder again to stare at her in surprise. "R-really?"

"Yes." She leaned over my shoulder and kissed my lips, resulting in my pleased moans.

She slowly began to lean backwards and I turned over. She laughed as my excitement got the best of me. "Take your pants off."

I did so quickly and she allowed me to start off by making love to her slowly and passionately. My body was pressed against hers and my arms were bent beside hers. I kissed her and stroked her cheeks lovingly. Every now and then, she would break away to gasp for breath or to gasp in pleasure.

As I began to thrust a little faster, she sat up a bit, arching her back. Her grip on me tightened and I began to shift us into a different position. She moaned my name over and over as I took up a sitting position. She was in my lap and I was gently thrusting into her as best as I could. She tried to bounce a little and that made me feel _really _good.

I kissed her lek and she lifted the tip into my mouth. I swirled my tongue around it, playing with it, before biting it gently. I sent waves of ecstasy through her by doing that because her lekku were key components to exciting her. "Ana-Anakin," she gasped. "I don't think I can hold on much longer."

Her words made my breath come in heavier. Her hold on my shoulders tightened to the point where her fingers dug into my skin. She gasped and moaned very loudly as her love juice was released all over my lower half. Moments later, I came inside of her. Her body shook as I pulled her back to the pillows with me.

I tried to separate myself from her, but that didn't work out as I'd hoped it would. My member began to throb as she tried to continue our dance. I made a few painful sounds and she finally climbed off of me. "I'm sorry," she whispered, sounding sad.

"You're fine," I whispered breathlessly. "It just hurts a little afterwards."

She nuzzled her face into the crook of my neck and began to nibble on my skin. I smiled and chuckled, lifting my healing hand up to stroke her lek. "So _now _you don't feel sick?" I teased.

"I was sick with guilt," she whispered, breathing heavily on my neck. "I felt like I wasn't taking your feelings and thoughts into consideration. Once you told me what you wanted, I made my decision. You're just as involved in this as I am and I can't take this from you if you want it so badly. You're _not _selfish for wanting your child, Ani. _I _am the selfish one. I love you and I want you to be happy."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't feel guilty. I love you, Ahsoka."

I ran my hand over her bare skin, caressing her breasts for a few moments. My thumbs played with the nipples. "Something on your mind?" she asked, lifting her head to laugh lightly.

"I've just realized that your breasts are bigger than they were during our first time."

She rolled her eyes and kissed my cheek, brushing my sweaty hair out of my face. "Pregnancy does that to women. How are you _just _noticing this?"

I shrugged. "Regardless, I _like _it."

"You're bigger, too," she teased.

"Beautiful Togrutas do that to me," I replied, winking.

She pressed her lips against mine for several short, passionate kisses. She licked my lips and giggled, smiling down at me. "I love when you laugh," I whispered as I stared into her beautiful eyes and smiled at her.


	51. Chapter 51

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I sat outside of Master Plo's holding cell in the cold basement of the building. He held my hand through the bars as I cried quietly.

"I do not appreciate the deception in regards to the birth of your first child, but I do not resent you either, Little Soka. You should be _happy _right now."

"I'm really afraid, Master. I've had a bad feeling since Padme told me that Vader and Anakin wouldn't need our help."

"The two of them are strong in the Force. Senator Amidala and yourself are their weaknesses. It's best if you two stay somewhere safe. You know that if you were to get killed, Anakin would fail. You need to focus on yourself and this child, Ahsoka."

The door up the stairway opened. I felt Anakin before his boots stepped over the threshold. A blanket was draped over my shoulders and wrapped around me moments later. I smiled weakly up at him as he passed a warm blanket through the bars to Plo. I grabbed Anakin's hand and he smiled.

The smile faded when he saw my tears. I squeezed his hand and leaned against his leg. "Do you want me to go back upstairs?" he whispered.

"She enjoys your presence. Take a seat," Plo sighed, motioning for Anakin to sit beside me.

I was surprised. I thought things would always be heated between them because of me. Then again, Ani and Vader have made considerable progress between themselves in the last two days.

Anakin lowered himself to sit beside me and held me against his side. "Anakin, what do you have planned for my Soka?"

He glanced at me nervously. He and I had already talked this over, but Plo wanted to know as well. "After Vader and I defeat the Sith Lords, we're going somewhere quiet where we can live together in secret and as a family."

"I'm proud of you for proposing and taking care of everything as a real husband and father would."

"I love her," he whispered, smiling at me.

"More than drugs?"

"_More _than drugs."

"Good."

So far, things were going pretty well between them. Anakin's answers were satisfactory as far as I knew. I cuddled up against his side, crawling into his lap, and he smiled. "I love you," he whispered, kissing my montral. My forehead was against his jaw.

"Anakin…" Plo trailed off. "May I ask you something personal?"

"Sure," he replied, shrugging.

"Why did you fall in love with Ahsoka? She was sixteen, I assume, when you two had your first time. She's almost seventeen now and she's having your _second _child."

"We've… both been through a lot. We've done a lot of damage to ourselves, but we've always been there to support each other. In a way, Ahsoka was like my beautiful guardian angel." I could hear the smile in his voice as he kissed my montral again.

His hold tightened around me and I smiled widely. I lifted my head and he pressed his lips against mine.

A few bad memories flashed back into my mind, but I didn't dwell on it like I would have before. His alcohol consumption had decimated my innocence, but I'd never tell him that. I was always at his side after he came home from drinking or after he'd dropped a bottle, shattering it to wake me up. He was always sick afterwards, but I'd still be there for him. He'd never been able to hold his liquor…

The drugs, on the other hand, made me sick on _various _occasions. The smell of whatever he'd been snorting had been more than revolting to me. I was in the refresher most of the night, laying there until the morning sometimes. Again, I'd _never _tell him that.

He was worried enough as it was right now. He believes Ahso'kin is going to have problems in the future because of him and he stills beats himself up about it from time to time. He's afraid that the same thing will happen to this baby, too…

I wrapped my arms around him, draping my right arm over his left shoulder and winding my left arm around his waist. I closed my eyes and intently listened to his heart.

"You seem like you'd be a good… _husband _for her. You respect her and think very highly of her. That's _exactly _what she needs."

"I love her more than anything. I'd do _anything _for her."

"Just keep doing whatever it is you are doing now. She looks happy."

Anakin must have thought I'd fallen asleep. He gently rubbed my back and I heard him swallow back his tears. "I hope she is. Her happiness matters so much to me. I'm just _concerned._ I feel like she's thrown her life away for me. I don't deserve her…"

"Why do you say that?"

"After I got drunk, she had to watch me go through a bunch of shit. The drugs made her so kriffing sick, too. I'd found her in the refresher in the middle of the night several times. She's put herself through hell just to keep up with me."

"Anakin –"

"What if my past _kills _my children?"

"Your daughter is healthy. You cannot kill her. You've gone through detoxification. You have _nothing _to worry about, Anakin."

"That only stops the addiction. The problems are still more than likely there and I've passed them on to the kids."

"Do _not _worry about this," Plo whispered. "As long as Ahsoka is healthy, the child should be fine."

"I tried another drug a month ago." My heart stopped and I tried to keep my surprise under wraps. He had to think I was sleeping if I wanted him to continue talking to Plo. "I've tried to stop thinking about this, but then we found out that she's three weeks pregnant. This drug isn't as addictive and I'm just smoking it every now and then. It's not a constant thing, but I still feel guilty. I've managed to push it out of my thoughts and I've tried to leave it behind me, but I feel like this is a rerun of the episode on Tatooine. I had sex with those damn Twi'leks… _right in front of her._"

"It is behind –"

"I was _drugged!_" he whispered, holding me a bit tighter. "She _trusted me_ and I did _that _to her."

"She still trusts you. She wouldn't allow you to… _romance _her if she resented you."

Anakin sighed. "I need to tell her the truth sooner or later."

"Do what you believe is right, Anakin."

"I'm going to take her upstairs and put her in bed. Padme is cooking right now, so she'll bring your food down shortly."

Anakin stood and grunted as he lifted me up with him. I could feel his depression as he carried me up the stairs.

Within minutes, he laid me onto the bed. He stroked my cheek and bent down to kiss my lips. He must have been surprised when I slowly returned his kisses. "Did I wake you up?" he whispered, sounding apologetic.

I shook my head slowly before opening my eyes to glance up at him. I stroked the side of his face and he smiled at me. "Are you okay, Ani?"

I watched him move to lie down beside me. He rested his hand on my stomach and rubbed it slowly. "I'm just fine. How about you?"

"I'm okay. I know I'm going to be sick in a matter of weeks, so I'm actually prepared."

He frowned and I rolled over to kiss him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he whispered.

"Are you having second thoughts?"

His eyes met mine quickly and I could see the fire in them. "Never."

I brushed his hair out of his face and rubbed his cheekbone with my thumb. "That makes me happy," I whispered, smiling.

I felt his heart beating rapidly beneath me and I wanted to make him tell me everything right now, but I didn't want to upset him. He was beating himself up for this and I didn't want him to hurt himself any further.

Nothing he was doing right now – according to what he'd told Plo – would hurt the baby. He was drugged up beyond comprehension prior to finding out that I was pregnant with Ahso'kin and she turned out just fine.

He closed his eyes and I kissed his lips gently. "I need to tell you something," he said, turning over so we were both lying on our sides.

"What's up?"

He bit his lip. "How much do you love me?"

"A lot more than you obviously think I do."

He sighed. "What if I told you that I've been keeping something from you? How would you react?"

"That depends on what it is."

Again, his hand flew to my stomach. His lips trembled slightly. I rested my hand on top of his and smiled warmly at him. I could sense how horrible he felt and I didn't want to hurt him. Sadly, he didn't realize that I'd already heard everything he'd said.

I was glad he told Plo and I knew how much he regretted it. I just wondered when he'd found the time to leave and begin buying these things again, let alone beginning to _smoke _them. I could never smell anything off about him. Then again, he did mention that he knew I'd get sick…

"I'm sorry," he whispered, not telling me what he really wanted to say.

I ran my fingers through his hair and stroked the side of his face. He closed his eyes and leaned into my palm. I hated to see him like this, so I became more direct. "I heard what you told Plo."

His eyes snapped open and he stared at me with tears forming in them. "W-what?"

"I heard what you –"

"I'm so sorry. I know what I did was stupid and I can completely understand if you resent –"

I pressed my lips against his and closed my eyes, moaning as I felt his surprise run through me. He pulled away quickly and I raised an eye marking at him. "Really?"

"Why are you doing this?" he whispered. "Aren't you mad at me?"

"Sure, you lied to me about this, but at least I heard it from you instead of saw it. I know how sick you're feeling right now because you think you're affecting the baby. Do I sound mad to you?"

He stared at me in silent sadness. "I'm so sorry."

"Can you _stop _apologizing? I know you're sorry, but there's nothing we can do now."

"I kept the drug away from you because I didn't want to get you sick like I did before. If you heard what I said to him, then you know that I'm not _that _addicted. I want this baby so badly, but I don't want to be the reason for its problems. I feel _horrible _and it's been killing me since I found out you were pregnant."

"You're the father," I whispered. "You might slip up here and there, but I love you." I sat up and he sat up with me, keeping his eyes locked on my face. I put my hands on either side of his face and smiled at him. "You're my perfect imperfection, Anakin. If you weren't in my life, I don't know how I'd survive."

He looked like he doubted my words and I sighed. I leaned forward and kissed him slowly. My thumbs rubbed his jaw line and he returned the kisses.

We scooted to the edge of the bed and he held me against him tightly. "I'm sorry for lying to you. I didn't want to keep this from you, but I didn't want to hurt _us._"

"I understand, Ani. You were worried and I can tell that you've hurt yourself enough. Just remember that I've been through it all with you before and it was much worse to begin with. We've grown up and we've come closer. I will _always _love you. No matter what, we've always got each other."

He smiled weakly. It looked like a broken smile and it went along with his broken heart and sad eyes. I brushed his hair out of his face again and kissed the side of his mouth, licking his lips. "Just be open with me instead of hurting yourself. Don't always assume that I'm going to spaz out on you."

"You know what?"

"What?"

"I'm stupid."

I stared at him with wide eyes. He kissed me very quickly before resuming his speech. "I should have known that you would understand. Like you said, you've been with me in my worst times. I need to learn that you're always going to be here for me and that you love me beyond my wildest dreams."

"If the sex hasn't proved that point, then I don't know what has," I teased.

He rolled his eyes and gave me a real smile. "Thank you, Ahsoka. You have no idea how much better I feel now that you know."

I leaned forward and hugged him gently. "All I want is for us to be close _and _happy. You need to put your two credits in every now and then so we're _both _happy."

He kissed the center of my montrals and whispered, "Believe me, I will from now on."


	52. Chapter 52

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I stayed awake even though Anakin thought I was asleep. I knew he was awake because his breathing wasn't as peaceful. It still sounded labored and rough. I rolled over onto my side out of habit and I felt the bed dip behind me as he shifted position.

Moments later, the mattress rose and he was walking across the room. I heard him rummaging through some things before he sighed. I rolled over again and barely opened my eyes to watch him.

He was hovering above Ahso'kin. He reached into the crib and stroked her face before standing up straighter.

I closed my eyes as he began to turn around. He paused in front of the bed and I felt his lips against my forehead. With that, he left.

I opened my eyes to watch him leave the room.

I got up and pulled my nightgown over my head. I silently crept out of the bedroom and walked down the hallway. I could feel his presence and I wondered why he hadn't felt mine.

Anakin pulled out a cigarette of some sort and, just as I was about to round the corner to watch him, Vader stopped me. I nearly screamed, but he put his hand over my mouth. "I didn't mean to scare you," he whispered. "What are you doing up?" He removed his hand from my mouth and I sighed in an attempt to calm myself.

"I… can't sleep."

"You were following him, weren't you?"

I sighed, giving in. "Yes. I want to make sure he's okay. I love him."

Padme walked past us and smiled at Vader. "What are you two up to?"

"Well, I bumped into her and she was stalking Anak –"

"I was not _stalking _Anakin. I'm making sure he's all right. I care about him, unlike you, you selfish bastard."

He raised his eyebrows at me and Padme took that as her cue to leave. I stared up at Vader and saw _part _of my Anakin in him. Just the looks anyway. Nothing in his character – aside from his anger – reflected Anakin. "So you feel as he does in regards to me?"

"You're cruel," I whispered. "You slander me at every chance you get and you expect me to respect you? I think _you're _the one on drugs if you actually believed –"

"Look," he interrupted. "I know I'm not going to win you over any time soon. I'll probably never win your respect. I'm Anakin as well, so I know how he feels and how he thinks. I can see the attraction he has to you and vice versa. The truth is, as soon as I saw you, I fell in love with you, too."

"What?" I asked, stunned.

"I… I was angry because he won your heart. I couldn't act civilized when I saw him with you, so I chose to insult you and to hurt him when I could. I'm so sorry though. I wish I could act differently now. What I've said and done to you both is _unforgivable._ I love you, Ahsoka. I love you just as much as I love Padme."

"Vader –"

"I'm not going to do anything to make you fall in love with me. You belong to Anakin and I belong to Padme. Promise me that you won't tell Anakin, all right? The last thing I need is for him to get wind of me hitting on his fiancé. As longing as I am for you, I'll never ruin a relationship. _Two _relationships, for that matter, seeing as though I've married Padme."

He grabbed my hands and held them gently. My fear was zooming through the roof of this building as I stared into his eyes. _Anakin's _eyes. "I have to tell Anakin if you try something. I don't want him to think I'm cheating on him. He loves me and I love him. He… he needs me just as much as I need him, Vader…"

"I know. I told you that I understand the way he thinks and the way he feels. I _am _Anakin. I know he thinks about you even when he's sleeping. He thought about you when he frakked those girls on Tatooine. He –"

"How did you know about _that?_" I whispered.

"I know everything about him. I had to learn about the man I was cloned from, Ahsoka. That tape was the reason he left the Order to join us."

"He didn't leave to join you. He left because of me. They found out I was pregnant with Ahso'kin and they told him he had to leave. It had _nothing _to do with you or Padme. He didn't even know Padme was alive until Ahso'kin was kidnapped after her birth."

He stroked my cheek and I bit my tongue, stiffening at his touch. "I could feel your pain as you lost your daughter. I wanted so badly to help you," he whispered. "I wanted so badly to be inside of you and show you what a real man can do… I want to show you _real _love."

He backed me up into a wall and I began to pant. He rubbed my area and I closed my eyes. Yes, he had Anakin's similar touch, but _no_, he was _not _my Anakin. "V-Vader… s-stop…" I pleaded.

His warm lips brushed up against mine and I couldn't help the wonderful feeling. He was, in all physical attributes, _Anakin._ I moaned as he lifted my nightgown and slid his hand into my underwear. "Will you make love with me?" he asked.

I couldn't resist the voice. No matter how hard I tried to, he kept my mind spinning. He looked like Anakin, he sounded like Anakin, he _felt _like Anakin…

I nodded and he pulled his hand out, leading me down to his bedroom. We entered and he grabbed me, launching us at the bed. He managed to get on top of me and I pulled my nightgown off, revealing my body and my underwear. He quickly slid the underwear down my legs and removed his own clothing.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

**An hour later.**

"Padme, I'm afraid," I whispered. "I'm afraid that I'm going to lose Ahsoka because I've started my addiction again. I don't want to lose her."

She patted my leg and smiled warmly. "You're not going to lose her. Anakin, I've never seen a girl so in love. She's bound to you in all physical and emotional means. She made it through the drugs and alcohol phase. You're only smoking now. That's not _too _harmful to your body unless you overdo it."

"I just want to make her happy. Even sex with her hasn't been good enough to keep her happy lately. I feel like I'm doing everything wrong and it's really beginning to take its toll on me. I know I'm a screw-up and a failure, but I want to change."

"We've been out here for quite some time, Anakin. Vader's probably wondering where I've been." I sighed as she stood up. She ran her fingers through my hair and smiled down at me. "You're still that little boy I met on Tatooine, Anakin. You're perfect for Ahsoka. She loves you and you love her. What else could someone ask for?"

I chuckled. "I hope you're right. I love her so much…"

"You love her the way I love Vader. I've been with him for quite some time and things are working out perfectly. It'll be the same for you two."

I pushed myself up and hugged her gently. "You always knew what to say to make me feel better. Thanks, Padme."

"I know you better than you know yourself. I was with you for a while, Anakin. I'm going to take care of you, too, because I know you're vulnerable after what I did to you. I'm just glad to see that you've moved on and that you've fallen so hard for someone just as wonderful as you."

"That means a lot to me."

She smiled widely. "I'm going to make some breakfast for myself and Vader. You go join Ahsoka and tell her how much you love her. You told me how much she means to you, so now you go tell _her._"

"I will. Thank you again."

She hugged me once more before smiling and walking off into the building. I took a few more inhales of my cigarette before tossing it down into the grass.

I spun on my feel and walked back inside. I heard a small scream and I froze. Padme was in the kitchen by now, so it hadn't been her. I crept across the hallway and moved towards the door that I heard the scream come from. It was _Vader's _room.

I pressed my ear up against the door and listened closely. I could hear Ahsoka moaning inside the room, whispering things I couldn't completely make out. I heard Vader's low voice and I heard sounds I never thought I'd hear aside from my own and Ahsoka's.

They were having _sex._ Ahsoka _and _Vader. She began to scream, "Yes!" over and over again and my chest tightened. I felt my heart freeze over and _die._ Tears welled up in my eyes and I fought the urge to burst in on them. I stormed off, my fists balled up tightly. I ran towards the kitchen to find Padme. I wanted to be the one to tell her what Vader had done to us.

I stopped in the hallway and realized that Padme was happy with Vader. _He _made her happy, but he also made _my _Ahsoka happy. As much as I wanted to do this, I couldn't hurt Padme. It was bad enough that _I _heard them. I felt a lump forming in my throat and I fought back the tears that threatened to fall freely.

I wondered what I'd done so wrong to make her turn so quickly to another man for sexual needs. My heart was slowly breaking and I felt like I was _dying._ My entire body felt like it was under water and I was finally beginning to drown.

I spun around and began to _run._ I needed to get away before I hurt myself or someone else.

I ran out into the darkness. The rain was pouring down on me and it felt _comforting._ The rain washed over me as I ran through crowded areas.

Everything around me was a green blur for a matter of minutes before I felt like I was far enough away from the building.

I fell to my knees, landing in a deep, muddy, puddle. I sank further into it and slowly fell to pieces. Not too long ago, I had confessed how important Ahsoka was to me. She was the light in my darkness, always bringing me to my senses.

My heart was going to _burst._ I've _never _felt this down before. I never felt like this when I was drinking or drugging myself. I had _finally _hit my all time low.

I lifted my muddied hands to my face and rubbed my eyes. I didn't even care about the fact that my face had gotten dirty. _Ahsoka _was the dirty one. She was sleeping with Vader while she was _my _fiancé.

I slammed my hands down onto the ground and collapsed onto my side, the rain showering down on me like a watery _wall._ I tugged on my hair tightly, crying as much as I possibly could to try to ease my pain. I curled into myself and shut my eyes tightly.

The rain, thunder, and my painful cries were the only sounds that echoed endlessly. My hands and the rest of my body began to shake uncontrollably. I felt like this puddle was going to drown me.

Lightning snapped above me and I only began to imagine how it would feel to be _struck _by that lightning. Force knows there were many ways to get hit by it. Perhaps I could mess around with fate once more and get myself electrocuted to death.

Sobs continued to wrack my body for quite some time and I felt absolutely _helpless._

**A/N: Well, it appears as though I won't be taking this story down and rewriting it. I got some ideas on how to end this in the next few chapters, however, so I'll try to update more soon! I've already begun writing the next chapter.**


	53. Chapter 53

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

The next morning came around all too slowly. I opened my eyes and glanced over my shoulder to see complete _emptiness._ He hadn't come back to bed last night?

I threw my legs over the side of the bed and got up quickly, pulling a robe on quickly.

I wandered around the building, searching for Anakin. I couldn't find him anywhere. I even checked outside very quickly to see if he'd gone back out for an early smoke or something. I ran into a half dressed Vader and he stared at me in concern. "What's wrong, Ahsoka?"

"I can't find Anakin," I whispered. "I can't sense him and I don't know where he's gone. It's pouring out there. Do you actually think he went outside?"

He wrapped me in his arms and I pushed him aside. "Vader, _no._ I'm sorry if I'd led you on, but I _can't _be involved with you both at the same time. This time was an accident. I can't do it again. If Anakin finds out –"

"Speak of the devil," he whispered.

I spun around to see Anakin, soaked and _muddy. _He looked like he'd gotten hurt and he looked _very _upset. I ran over to him, resting my hands on his wet chest. "Ani," I gasped. "Where in the Force have you been? I haven't been able to –"

He grabbed my wrists and moved them away from him, walking down the hallway to our bedroom without a word. I stared at him in horror. The _only _reason he would act like that towards me was if he _knew _what I'd done. Tears slid down my cheeks as I placed my hand over my mouth. "You… think he knows?"

"What am I going to do if he _does?_ I can't lie to him! I feel bad enough already."

"You didn't feel bad when I was frakking you," he growled.

"Vader!" I shouted. "I can't _believe _you! I could lose Anakin because of _this!_"

"Then go talk to him. Tell him I took advantage of you or something. Isn't that what you say to everyone when you get knocked up after having sex with someone you _love?_"

I stormed off, darting down the hallway to my shared bedroom with Anakin. The door was closed slightly, so I quietly pushed it back. I watched him sit on the opposite side of the bed with his back to me and my heart shattered. "I know you're there," he whispered. "Just come in."

"Ani, please, don't –"

"I'm not going to _hurt _you," he sneered.

I entered the bedroom and closed the door before walking towards the bed. I sat down and he bowed his head. "You know?"

"_Why _did you do _that?_" he whispered painfully. He held his head in both hands and I swallowed down a lump as I began to cry. "I _thought _you _loved _me."

"I _do _love you, Anakin. I love you so much and you have no idea how horrible I feel right now. I feel like I've betrayed you and I feel like I've practically killed you."

He laughed darkly and I got a little scared. "You _have _betrayed me and you _did _kill me. You have no idea what kind of an emotional wreck I am now." He continued to laugh as he began to cry. "You Force damned bitch," he whispered. I knew it hurt him to say that, but it was true right now.

"I won't blame you if you never forgive me. I won't blame you if you never want to see my face again," I whispered.

"You'd _like _that, wouldn't you? If I told you I never wanted to see you again, you'd run off with Vader, breaking me _and _Padme."

"I swear to you –"

"Don't swear anything you can't promise," he whispered.

"_This _I promise you, Anakin. I will _never _betray your trust again. I know it'll be a long time before you even _consider _trusting me with your heart again, but I swear to you that I'll never hurt you this way again. I love you so much and I hate myself for what I've done to _us._"

He began to cry so much harder and I crawled across the bed to stroke his back and shoulders. He grabbed my fingers on his right shoulder and held them tightly. "I _hate _you for what you did," he whispered. "But I _can't _live without you…"

"I will not beg for forgiveness," I whispered. "I'd never do that to you after the hurt you've just gone through alone." His breath caught as he inhaled and I squeezed his fingers. "Tell me what I can do to help you, Anakin. I want to make it up to you."

"I just want to go back to sleep."

"Then lay down. I'll go sleep on the –"

"_No_," he whispered fiercely. "I don't want you to leave my side ever again…"

He was shivering uncontrollably and I jumped off of the bed, much to his dismay, to find him some warm and dry clothes. I grabbed his pajamas and walked back over to him. "Ani, please, wear these. I don't want you to sleep in those soaked clothes…"

He nodded and stood up on shaky legs. I watched him sadly as he began to strip himself. I wasn't sure if he'd want me to help him or not, so I just _stood _there. He was struggling to unbutton his pants, so I moved forward and helped him. I didn't want him to get frustrated over something like this and completely go off.

I was surprised that he wasn't yelling at me. Then again, he probably came in here with Ahso'kin so he _wouldn't _scream at me. I helped him undress and redress himself before staring up into his watery eyes again. "I'm _so _sorry, Anakin," I whispered. He nodded painfully, fighting the urge to begin crying again. "Can… Can I hug you?"

Again, he nodded. He spread his arms and I dove at him. I wrapped my arms around his body and pressed my palms against his back. I felt his trembling as he tried to keep himself composed and I began to cry myself. "I still love you, Ahsoka. I don't know why, but I still do…"

"You're too forgiving," I whispered. "That's what I love about you. I just wish _I _deserved it…"

"I wish I deserved _you_," he whispered. "Did… Did he make you happy when he had sex with you?"

"_You _deserve so much better than me after what I've just done to you." He stroked my back gently and I closed my eyes. "No one could _ever _make me happy except for _you._ You don't hurt me when you make love to me. You're amazing, Anakin." I sighed heavily while continuing to cry. "I'm sorry that I did this to you. The only reason I fell for it was because he claimed he was so much like you…"

"You… had sex with him because you thought he was like _me?_"

I began to shake now. "A-Ani, I-I have something t-to tell you."

He pulled back and held me at arm's length, staring at me concernedly. "What's wrong?"

"V-Vader _loves _m-me."

"_What?_" he whispered. He sounded hysterical, pushing me back a little to see if I was serious. I wish I _wasn't _serious about this, but I _had _to tell him. Anakin deserved to know that his _clone _was trying to steal me away from him.

"He fell in love with me because he claimed he felt like you did and he thought like you did. I was _so _stupid to fall for that."

"That kriffing son of a bitch!" he sneered, keeping his voice down. I cringed as he grabbed my arm roughly and squeezed. "I'll _kill _him," he whispered.

I began to stutter as I tried to keep him under control, which was _very_ hard to do right now. I lifted my hands to the sides of his face and stroked his skin gently, feeling how _hot _his cheeks were because of his anger. "As much as I'd like that, _you _need him. You're going to need him for the duel against the Sith," I whispered, running my fingers across his skin quickly as I stared up at his face.

"He _abused _you," he growled. "No one gets away with that and _lives._" He grabbed my hands and practically threw me aside. His eyes were _burning _with hatred. "I don't give a damn if he's as strong as me. After what he's done, he's going to _pay._"

"Ani, please –" I pleaded, attempting to grab his hands.

"How can I let him _think _he can do that to you?" he growled. He spun around and tried to leave the room. I grabbed his arm and tugged as much as I possibly could to keep him from leaving the bedroom. "Ahsoka, _stop!_"

"_You _stop!"

He stared at me like I'd gone mad. Perhaps I had, but I didn't want to see _him _get hurt because… Well, it was actually _too _late for him _not _to get hurt. Maybe I could prevent _physical _hurt by keeping him here. A nauseous feeling washed over me and I immediately released him, covering my mouth. His expression softened as I gagged. He actually looked concerned.

I spun around and darted into the refresher. I fell to my knees in front of the toilet and released everything into it. _Damn _this pregnancy… Anakin was probably out there –

Anakin entered and knelt behind me. His warm hand stroked my rear lek gently until I finally stopped throwing up and fell back against him. His arms wound around me as I breathed heavily. I stared up at him and he stared down at me. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"What are_ you _sorry for?"

"Upsetting you to the point where you got sick."

"Ani, this is part of being pregnant. It just happens. It wasn't your fault."

I held his hands on my stomach and he rested his chin on my shoulder, kissing my jaw lightly. I closed my eyes and savored the feeling of his warm lips against my skin. "It's nice to see that I still have an effect on you," he whispered. I opened my eyes and glanced at him, smiling weakly.

"Ani, you'll always have an effect on me. I just…" I sighed and looked away from his sad eyes, closing mine again. "I wish I hadn't screwed up. I hurt you… I lost your trust. I could have lost _you…_"

He squeezed me gently and kissed my jaw again. "It'll take a while for me to recover from this, but I _do _forgive you. This is your _first _slip. You've forgiven me for all of mine, so I owe you this much."

"Anakin, I can't let you just forgive me for this so quickly. I _cheated _on you. You were under the influence of a lot of different things when you…" I stopped when I sensed his fury. "_You already know_. What I did was stupid and careless. You had no choice…"

"It's no excuse for what happened. Regardless," he whispered. "It's _my _decision as to when I will or will not forgive you. I've chosen to put my resentment aside and not let you go. I love you, Ahsoka, so much. I told Padme how much I loved you and I feel stupid for not telling you before all of this happened…"

"You're a wonderful man," I whispered. I twisted my body a little to rest my montrals against his chest so I could hear his heart beating. His hand slid up and down my arm slowly. I looked up at his gorgeous face and sighed when I saw how sad he looked. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Honestly, not for a while, Ahsoka."

"If there's anything – _anything at all _– that I can do for you, just let me know. I'm at your service as long as you –"

"_No_, he growled. "I do _not _want a _servant._ I _love _you and you're still my _fiancé_…" He paused and his face became _sadder._ "If you still want to marry me, that is…"

I held his sides tightly after his anger simmered down. "I still want to marry you, my love. _This _is _your _choice in the end. Do you want to marry a slut?"

He glared at me and I bit my lip. "I'll _never _think of _you _as _slut._ Don't you _ever _say that again about yourself. I love you for _you_, not what you've done. Let's put this in the past. I've forgiven you, but I'll _never _forgive _him._"


End file.
